Magic Show vs Late Show - Game 1 Set To Go

The Match up is set. The teams are ready. The players are hyped up and prepared for battle. The NHL is nervous. On the line - an NBA World Championship and a piece of history.

Game 1 is slated to get going at the Staples Center in LA- Home of the Lakers (even if there are no lakes anywhere near the place) at 8:30 on ABC. Which should be interesting to see how the ratings are on Versus for the Stanley Cup Finals after they were boasting on how well they did on NBC over the Weekend.

The Orlando Magic come into the series as the decided underdogs but after disposing of the Cavaliers is short time they are surely not to be taken lightly. This has all the makings of being a very fast paced series with a lot of quick transition play and even more 3pt shot attempts. One thing that these two teams can agree upon is that shooting 3’s is fun.

Which superstar will impose his will on the other team? Is Dwight Howard going to be Superman or Clark Kent? Is Kobe going to be the Black Mamba or play a more passive facilitator role and get his team involved first and then just pick his spots? I guess that is for the coached to decide.
That is another interesting match up, the Zen Master Phil Jackson who is very laid back and usually has little to say while on the court, saving is strategies for the locker room and Stan Van Gundy who is usually screeching at a level so high that only dogs can here him. So if the Magic look out of sorts at times it is probably because they missed the play call. These two coaches are the perfect 2 to play the NBA’s version of the odd couple, with their styles as different as night and day.

Ding Dong LeBron is Gone.

In an unlikely and unforeseen turn of events Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic did a disappearing act. It wan’t Copperfield and the Statue of Liberty, it was LeBron James and the Cavaliers from Cleveland. After going 39-2 at home on the season and being the #1 seed going into the playoffs “ LeBron (King) James just didn’t get enough help from the rest of his teammates to keep up with the red hot Magic and there inside man and 3 point threats.

Orlando was just on fire from 3 point land in the close out game (not to mention wight Howard imposing his will inside) and made 3pt shooting the backbone of their attack through the whole series. When they meet up with the Lakers they will no doubt keep with that same approach and if they are as good as they have been it could be a long series for Kobe and his Lakers. Now LA isn’t shy about jacking up the 3’s either but at first glance they aren't nearly as consistent. Kobe does have a lot more help then Lebron did. If Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom play up to potential they should be able to match the Magic’s offense if not it will be a lengthy series that will probably go 7 long games. Odom if on could be the X factor, if health and execution are there, watch out. It has the potential to be great for the viewers and fans of the NBA but very stressful for the 2 teams involved.

Everyone had it almost a lock that it would be a LeBron-Kobe final and I am sure the NBA wanted it that way for rating purposes. At least this championship game will have 2 superstars pitted against each other, they just won’t be guarding each other. The veteran Kobe against the young “Superman” Dwight Howard.

In any event the NBA Finals should prove to be a very exciting high paced and a showcase of talent and team depth. Who will come out the victor, only time will tell. ENJOY!

Throughout the Game

1st-
-Kobe can make any shot at any time, under any circumstances. He is the best player in the league.
-Ray Allen came out on fire after spending 2 days in the hospital with his son
-There seems to be more contact allowed then in an MMA match
- Pau Gasol is playing weak for a 7 foot man. Catch the ball with 2 hands, go up strong with the ball, make a shot once in a while. Even elementary kids know these fundamentals. I think he still believes he is back playing in Memphis.
-Rondo is actually playing like a vet and not a young gun shy kid
-Paul Pierce proves that it is a given that traveling is no longer in the NBA rulebook
24-20 Boston

2nd
-Baby Davis makes his first appearance in the finals - Davis hasn’t lost his Baby fat yet
- Ray Allen is still out with an apparent eye injury. After being so hot in the first how will his absence affect the Celtics?
- Rivers gets a “T”, how interesting would it be if he took another and was out of the game?
- Oh my... Gasol actually hit a shot!!
-9 pts lead for Celtics- someone took the lid of the Celtics basket
-Garnett is having a good game he just got a rebound with his head
-Allen is back on the bench...after actually being injured, unlike piece earlier in the series
-11 straight points for Boston..the series, the Championship is slipping away from LA
-Celtics have phenomenal ball movement, they have the ball on a string and are running circles around the Lakers
58-35

3rd
-If you can’t make a shot and can’t get a rebound the result is not favourable
-good team defence is tough to contend with, again, even more so when you can’t rebound
- This is beginning to get painful to watch 10:50 right now and may need to flip to the Daily show for a few minutes soon
-even the LA GM can barely stay awake
-apparently home court in the NBA is the most important thing you can have
-defence apparently does win championships
89-60

4th
- The only good thing about Rondo playing well is E.T. (Sam Cassell) hasn’t gotten court time
-Good call by GM Danny Ainge to stick with basketball after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 77
-I have been using PJ Brown since Playstation 1 NBA Live 98, he was good then and is good now, even after quasi retirement
-admittedly i was rooting for LA but the best team did win and deserves to raise the trophy
-as you can see i have gotten away from game comments as it has been effectively over for some time now

131-92
Congrats to the Celtics..next up NBA Draft