I Know I Know I Know

I'm sorry. It's been 74 years since I posted, and that's my fault. I have no excuse. Let's blog...

• So the Lakers won the Ship. Congrats to the men who really deserve it...Josh Powell, DJ Mbenga, and Adam Morrison. Haha just kidding just kidding, seriously congrats to Kobe, D-Fish, and The Zen Master Phil Jackson. Compelling series, and a completely different series if Orlando wins the games they are supposed to. Two OT games which the Magic should have won makes that series 3-1 in favor of Orlando going into Game 5. That's a totally different ballgame. The abundant turnovers and as always missed free throws late were significant in the Magic's demise. Hedo Turkoglu has already said he is going to opt out and become a free agent. Not surprising since his lack of defense and questionable effort/shot choice also caused internal problems for the Magic. Don't look for Orlando to go anywhere though, they have great young players, and have really solidified themselves as a force in the NBA. On top of that, the only way for Dwight Howard to go is up, he has no post moves, can't make free throws, and still tied the record for most double-doubles in a playoff (22). But let's give daps where daps are due. The Lakers were the better team. Congrats to that whole team, especially the latter 3 I mentioned earlier, for coming back after last year's debacle of a Finals. I commend you Kobe, job well done, you really have grown into a man and become the face of the NBA after many, including myself, thought after your legal troubles you could/would never come close to that peak again. Congratulations to you, Kobe Bryant. (you like that Miss La?)
• In addition, great debate I had with some of my posse yesterday. Where is Kobe in the ranks of greatest players of all-time? Top 5? Top 10? Top 15? My vote goes to Top 10, approximately 9 or 10. Ahead of him, for sure, is MJ, Wilt, Bill Russell, Magic, Bird, Oscar Robertson, and then perhaps guys like Shaq, Duncan, Bill Walton, Bob Cousy, guys like that. It's a great conversation, really one without a right answer given your bias and what you think makes a G.O.A.T., as the rappers say. I think it will take at least another 2-3 Championships to climb that ladder and even come into the same paragraph as Jordan and Bill. Not to say he can't or won't do it, but I think that is what it will take. Let the debate begin. LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC!!
• As for the Zen Master. Ten Championships. Ten. In 19 years. 13 Finals appearances in 19 years. They talk about, Oh Phil had all this talent in Jordan and Pippen and Shaq and Kobe...Pardon my french but if that's the case how come no one else won the Ship with these guys? The coaches before Phil in Chicago couldn't do it, the coaches after Phil in L.A. couldn't do it. That's a load of bologna, granted he did have outstanding players, but what championship teams don't?!! As I told Wilson yesterday, you could have the 5 best players in the L on your team, but if you can't get them to sync, play together and work towards a common goal, that's all you got, the best 5 players in the league. The word synergy comes to mind. Look it up if you don't know what that means. Congrats to the Basketball Journeyman, I bow to you.
• Shout out to my Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team for making it to the CWS. We beat Cal State Fullerton in Round 1, then got routed yesterday by #3 LSU Tigers. We have to be the surprise of the tournament as of yet, even with the beating we took yesterday. We will go down swinging, bet your rally caps on that.
• Favre to the Vikings? I still don't want to talk about it. Just stop. Hush.
• Brandon Marshall, the very talented Broncos WR, asked for a trade yesterday. This guy has potential, crazy potential. If he can get his attitude right, he could become a Top 3 WR. I don't blame him, if my team traded Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton I'd be asking for a trade too. I wouldn't want Orton on my flag football team. I see you Bobby Rosener!!
• Like I said, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in a Game 7 upset over the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit. Big win, The Kid has finally become a man. Wilson asked me name another player besides Malkin and The Kid...you can ask him what my response was.
• Rangers are still looking good. Dropping a bit, but they should to the likes of Boston and New York. As long as we're ahead in the division, that's all I care about. Hell, as long as we're above .500 that's all I care about.

Sorry again for the long delay. Feels good to talk sports again. I've got a second interview this weekend in STL. Wish me luck. Shout out today goes to anyone who still reads this. Pass the word along, let's debate about Kobe/Phil. Adios amigos.

--HEMAN--

Inexcusable

On the midnight showing (otherwise known as the LA showing) of Sportscenter, I caught only the Top Ten, but it was all I needed to hear. The Jonas Brothers commentated the SC Top Ten. It's enough to make an sports fan rethink their entire belief system, or at least wonder what the people at ESPN were thinking. First they ruin Thanksgiving, now they are killing the staple of ESPN, what's next? Christmas?..........

Sadly,

Big Wil

What Craig David and LeBron James Have In Common

"I''m walkin' away, from the troubles in my life, I'm walkin' away...."-Walkin' Away, Craig David

This whole thing isn't news anymore, and it's well known now that Bron walked off the court in silence after his Game 6 elimination loss to the Magic. I heard about the Email or text or whatever he sent, but that doesn't mean much to me. My boy BFlo and I were watchin ESPNEWS the other day when LeBron said something to the effect of "It's like getting beat up, do you shake hands with someone after they beat you up? No. I'm a competitor, it's what I do." First off, no one was trying to beat you up, they were trying to advance to the NBA Finals, the same thing you were doing. Second of all, it's my opinion that a true competitor has respect for his opponent, regardless of outcome. LeBron didn't show much respect by avoiding the Magic. The great thing about hoops is, people play hard to win, and as heated as it might get on the court, most people always know it's not personal, and everything is the same once it's over as when it started. Atleast that's how it's supposed to be, that's how PROFESSIONALS should handle it. As well as LeBron has always handled the media and all of that, I feel he made a big mistake by disrespecting the Magic, and then defending himself days later. I understand if you are just that mad at yourself in the moment or something, but if that's the case, then apologize later. It's a shame that his unforgettable series was capped by a Detroit Bad Boy-esque move.

• As little as ESPN Hockey analyst Barry Melrose does for me, he made a great point in a discussion over LeBron's walk out. He said "LeBron, if you can do everything right when you win, you better be able to do the same when you lose." I'm not going to offer analysis on this quote, it's pretty self-explanatory. Just wanted to give props where props are due.
• People love to compare LeBron and MJ on their play, but let's go ahead and compare them on this topic. I recently read an article on ESPN.com in which Joe Dumars talked about how Jordan reacted after losing a series. "We beat the Bulls in the playoffs three years in a row, and after every series Michael made a point to come over to me after the game, shake my hand, and give me a hug. So when they beat us, and Isaiah and Co. silently left the court, I made sure to find Mike, and give him a handshake and a hug." MJ didn't just leave the court, he swallowed his pride, and showed respect for his opponent. Because of this, Dumars showed the same respect for Jordan when the tables had turned. As blogfan Rico Flora said the other day, "Are you big enough to make yourself small?"

Gracias por su tiempo, Adios,

Big Wil

Interviews, Tests, St. Louis

Sorry guys I've been romped with life. Had a couple of interviews in StL last Friday. Got invited back to both basically, but one wanted to wait until I was done with summer school, so really only one. I turn 22 tomorrow, so kudos to that as well. A lot has happened since either of us have said anything, so I'll try to tackle as much as I can.

• Orlando-L.A. This is not the matchup everyone wanted to see, but I think it is the best possible matchup for the Finals. Cleveland just disappointed me completely, and I think LeBron-Kobe would have been a sweep, or close to it, advantage Kobe and Co. Howard (Shoulders) will at least be able to bang down low, and with Turkoglu and Lewis both being big guards/small forwards, they will also be able to handle Kobe, Ariza, Walton, Odom. Very interesting series. I honestly believe the Lakers time has come, but as I told Wilson today, don't be surprised if Orlando takes this thing all the way and even wins, especially with the 2-3-2 home court format. They are very good at home, and if they shoot well they pose a great threat to any team in the L, including the Lakers. Their 4 out 1 in format is very dominant when it works, and having the best young center in the world doesn't hurt either.
• Cleveland is in turmoil. The champ-less city has to be hurting. It's a shame to see that even after the great year they had they still have the same problems as before. I think they're still a good 2 pieces away from being a legit championship contender. Mo Williams is a good start, but add some big men and perhaps a more legit 2G and they're set. Take LeBron out of that lineup, you have Williams, Delonte West, Andersen Vareajao, Zydrunas Illgauskas, and Sasha Pavlovic? Or Wally Sczerbiak?!! Really?!! What is that? The Milwaukee Bucks all over again Mo, the Bucks ALL OVER AGAIN. Wilson gave a great point about their regular season--they did what a good team is supposed to do. They won on their home court and beat teams they were supposed to on the road. Wilson told me they were -14 on average against the Lakers, Magic, and Celtics, also not including a 19 point loss to Houston. That's a pretty shocking statistic. I feel bad for LeBron, I don't know what else the King could have done. Arguably the best series ever played by a losing player, perhaps the best series by an individual period. Just for the record, he did send an email to Dwight Howard congratulating him on winning and everything. That takes a bit of the sting off of him not shaking hands with Shoulders or any of his Magic teammates after their decisive 13 point victory.
• In NHL news, the Red Wings took a 2-0 series lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins, thus ruining my prediction of the Pens winning it all. Oh well, perhaps The Kid can make a comeback.
• Rafael Nadal lost his French Open streak to same guy who made fun of him last year. Funny how karma works out. Pretty staggering how untouchable he was, how unbeatable he was, and then along comes this 20-something seed and it's all over. Just a goodbye wave and laughing in the post-match interview and that's it. No more talk, no fallout, nothing. Weird.
• Josh Hamilton is going to have an MRI. Bad news for fantasy owners and Texas Rangers fan. The All-Star slugger has been injured basically all season and even with that the Rangers have the best record in the AL. Everything is seeming to come together for them. Haven't been able to catch many games, but everytime I check the scores on the Bottom Line, the Rangers are always in the yellow. Good stuff.

That's all folks. Time to start celebrating my birthday. Shout out to Holiday Inn Express in Fenton for the Honeymoon Suite this weekend. Two fingers like Mario.

--HEMAN--

Ode to Dikembe

Big Wil

Patience Media, Patience

I don't have a lengthy opening statement today, aside from the fact that tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day for us to honor the men and women who have given their lives for their country. With that being said, the ranting begins....

• I can't take it anymore. I have seen somewhere close to 50 replays of LeBron's game winner in Game 2. I'm a LeBron fan, and that was a great shot, but the media is blowing this thing up like he just won them Game 7 of the Finals.  And yes, the shot may have been Jordanesque, but stop with all the relating of LJ and MJ because of that shot. Lebron has hit TWO game winners, whereas MJ hit 25 game winners in his NBA career. I'm not saying LeBron can't reach Jordan's level, all I'm saying is he hasn't YET. During the LA/Denver halftime last night, Magic told LeBron he was now considered a closer, mentioning MJ, Bird, and two other legends. Come on Magic, don't give the beast that much credit yet, like I said, it's the man's second game winner. I like Bron, I think he has the potential to be at MJ's level. With that being said, if he can get there, I want him to get to that level on his own, not because the media builds up his every moment like it's a world-changing event.
• Dwight Howard only had one shot attempt in the fourth quarter of game 2. Pathetic. Give him the ball, the man is like Hercules down there. And who knows, D-How takes makes a couple of buckets, and LeBron may never get that last shot.
• Last night the Lakers won in Denver, taking a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conf. Finals. Kobe was true to form, posting 41 points, whereas Melo was AWOL in the second half, scoring only three points. Don't bring Kool Aid to a gin party son. This series is a ton of fun to watch, and produces great games. Although the Nuggets have the tools to be the Champs, Kobe's great play, combined with Trevor Ariza's elevated game, is going to be too much for the Tattoo Crew. I'm interested to see how they respond tomorrow night, I expect another good game in Denver.
• People keep saying the Nugs should have been up 2-0 going into Game 3. Here's my question, why don't people say the same thing about the Magic? Just curious, leave a comment if you have any thoughts.
• Excluding that three game skid in Detroit, my Rangers are rollin' right now. First in the division, and a nice 3.5 game cushion separates them from the second place Angels. The bats are swingin as always, and the pitching is getting the job done. The Bronx Bombers come into town this week and I intend on going to one of the games, I'll let ya know how it goes.
• Mike Vick now makes $10 an hour, someone tell me how he is managing to pay for that big house he keeps driving to?

I don't have much else for now, the other Neely is on deck. Shout out to my boy T-rav Walker for getting his Letter of Intent to play football at Mid-America Nazarene, that's big stuff my friend. For now I am gone, Covino's pizza and wings are calling my name.

Stay thirsty my friends,

Big Wil

End of Round One

So last night ended Game 1's of the Conference Finals, as well as American Idol. Shout out to my man Kris Allen from Conway, Arkansas for taking the title away from Adam Lambert in a small upset. Great show, tons of performances. You almost forgot you were watching American Idol, until the man, the myth, the legend that is Ryan Seacrest would mysteriously pop up. Let's get into it.

• I am very disappointed and shocked in the Cleveland Cavaliers. The MVP put up 49 points on 20-30 shooting, has to leave the court with cramps, exhaustion, a bloody knee, and you STILL lose?!! The rest of the team scores 57 points on 58 shots. Cleveland also let Orlando shoot 55% from the floor, 59% in the entire second half. Not spectacular for the L's top defensive team. After reading that stat LeBron said his team "deserved to lose." It's sad to see the same problem with Cleveland after all the hype during the regular season and thus far in the playoffs-LeBron comes ready to play, his team doesn't. I'm not saying the Cavs aren't the best team in the East, I still think they clearly are. I just think Orlando got lucky to be honest, they almost lulled Cleveland to sleep by going down 16. I mean hell, they still shot 51% in the first half and trailed by 14!! Not to take anything away from Orlando, they played a great game, but Cleveland should have won that game. It's a shame given everything The Chosen One did that it even came down to being that close. Look for Cleveland to come out and send a statement to Orlando in Game 2. The Cleveland locker room looked like someone had killed their dog. Don't expect them to sit back and let the game come. I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland reels off 4 W's in a row.
• The Lakers-Nuggets game Tuesday night was a dandy. Denver had the game won. Take away missed free throws, and a terrible inbounds pass from a solid veteran (Anthony Carter) and I believe the outcome is very different in L.A. I don't think this loss hurt Denver as bad as people think. They weren't supposed to win, yet they had the game won, and then shot themselves in the foot to end up with a loss. It wasn't even that the Lakers BEAT them, Denver just lost. Game 2 should be a great game, I hope Denver wins so I don't have to hear it from the Mrs. about how she loves the Lakers and Kobe and blah blah blah. Hate.
• In other L.A. news, the Clippers won the rights to the Blake Griffin sweepstakes Tuesday night. They already said they will choose the Oklahoma All-American, and I think he will be a great player in the NBA. The Clippers are an interesting team. Big Wil and I were talking about them yesterday, Baron Davis, Al Thornton, Chris Kamaan, Marcus Camby, add Blake Griffin and a solid 2G and some role players, that's a scary team right there. Then again, what am I saying, we're talking about the Clippers.
• Michael Vick was released from prison yesterday to spend the last 2 months of his 23 month sentence under home confinement. He will be working for a construction company 40 hours a week for $10 an hour. He says he isn't focused on football at this time and wants to get his life back together. Roger Goodell also says he will have to meet with Vick face to face to see is he is truly apologetic and sincere in order to let him back in the NFL. Vick is doing the right thing, get your life back together before you put your focus on anything else. I hope he gets reinstated, comes back, and at least plays a small role for a team. He was such an electric player it would be a shame if his only lasting legacy was the negative one.
• My boy Kid Searcy said he wanted some T.O. talk. I can always talk about some T.O. I love that man. In case you were under a rock, Terrell Owens is now up north playing for the Buffalo Bills. He has already made an impression, given he was a guest sportscaster on the local news station there in Buffalo. DJ asked who I think there is more pressure on, T.O. or the kid QB Trent Edwards? I believe in the short term, T.O. has more pressure. He has always been a reported disease in a locker room, reeking havoc to whichever team will take him. Thus, I think that if the Bills have a disappointing year, and he flares up at any time, he will take all the blame. Just like he did with the Cowboys, even though he wasn't the biggest problem. Tony Romo not winning a game past November is the problem, but that's another story for another day. Trent Edwards will get some of the blame being that he is the QB and much of the team's performance is on his shoulders. However, like I said, T.O. has more responsibility placed on him than any other player who only gets a maximum of 12 touches a game than perhaps anyone to ever play the game. I could be biased because like I said I respect and like T.O. and think he is portrayed very wrongly by the media.

That's all folks. Wilson's got your next insight. Tell your friends, we're getting this thing going again. T-shirts are in the works also, so get your mind right. Peace.

--HEMAN--