The NBA Finals, Shaq, and Gays.

The NBA Finals

After what seems to be an eternity, I'm back to blogging. Apologies for the extended delay...I have been busy with my life and other such trivial things...but let's get back to business.

The NBA Finals are finally here and after Game 1, 70% of fans and the media are ready to write off the Mavericks. Not so fast my friends. The biggest question after Game 1 as I tweeted/facebooked/social media'ed is this: Is Miami's defense really that good or did Dallas just have an off night shooting the ball?

Next, I hear Nowitzki will try a blindfolded behind the back shot...

Dallas shot 37 percent and outside of Dirk - no one on the Mavs really got going and the big German didn't exactly have a fantastic game either. This really can't happen again. Dirk, is going to give you atleast 25 points and 8 rebounds. He needs help - one or more of Terry, Marion, Kidd, Peja, or Barea have to go off. I have a feeling that the supporting cast won't shit itself. Another crucial element to watch is Dirk's finger, but I'm assuming Dirk has enough of a killer instinct to take some pain killers and play through it.

"Yes, of course I'm no where near MJ"

However, the antithesis to what I just said is the way Miami plays defense. Whether it be man or zone and especially when Miami rolls out a lineup of Haslem/Bosh/Lebron/Miller/Wade, they have enough length and footspeed to crowd the passing lanes and discourage ball movement - something the Mavericks are exceptional at. By the way, Mike Miller is hurt again and was seeing leaving the arena on Tuesday night with his shoulder in a sling...shocker.

Ex-Wizard Mike Miller injured again...by the way what is up with that haircut?

Dallas' defense is fine. The Heat weren't exactly setting the roof on fire with their shooting, but they do have Lebron James and Dwayne Wade and of course the most underappreciated all-star in the league - Chris Bosh (who by the way has probably been the best of the big three in the playoffs). The Mavericks can't afford to slack on defense, but defense wasn't the problem on Tuesday. It was the rebounding.

"I've been in the league for ten years and I still suck at free throws and my name is not Shaq"

Despite Brendan Haywood's missed dunk (what a joke), he played considerably better than Tyson Chandler and it would serve Rick Carlisle well to play Haywood over him. When Haywood was in the game, Miami seemed to get less offensive rebounds - the Heat had  80 shots total and the Mavericks only took 67..that's a BIG difference.

They key to this series might be mental. Keep in mind Dirk and the Mavs have been labeled as soft and chokers in the past and Lebron has The Decision and his inability to win a championship hanging on him. Something has to give and I still believe in the Mavs.

Shaq's Retirement

First of all, Shaq retired. Secondly, he retired over Twitter...what?! The changing of the "media guard" has been swift and a huge kick in the ass to traditional media. Usually, players retire by holding a press conference or by leaking it to their favorite reporter...but not any more. Shaq, an early enthusiast of Twitter announced his decision through a video and all I have to say is...it's high time he did so.

Easily the most dominant big man of my lifetime

I wasn't alive when Wilt and Kareem played and by the time I really started watching basketball, Ewing and Olajuwon, though good, were nowhere near their primes, and easily, by miles, Shaq was the best center I have ever seen play. From 1999-2003, he was a beast...and easily the most athletic player in the league for that time period as well. People say Shaq was an athletic specimen early in his career, when he used to run the floor and didn't weigh more than 300 pounds, but think about this - Shaq was able to do all those things AT 340 pounds in 2001 and 2002.

"Shut up Scottie. I'm still the best player ever. No one cares what you think."

Pound for pound (pun intended), he is the most dominant player I have ever seen. Jordan was good, talented, and despite what Scottie Pippen thinks, the best player ever, but Shaq was just unstoppable. There was no one in the league who could guard him for those years when he was in his prime. The ball would go into the post to Shaq and there were only two possible results - either he scored or he kicked it out to a teammate for a wide open shot. The last several years have been sad to watch especially with the Cavs and the Celtics, but many players ride around on different teams in the twilight of their careers - see Joe Montana with the Chiefs and Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards.

Despite this debacle, Jordan is still the best player ever.

Homosexuals in Sports

When Rick Welts came out of the closet, the sporting world went crazy. I still don't understand to this day how this is a big deal. He's gay...he's a front office executive...he has as much to do with the basketball being played on the court as you and I do. He is never going to step on the court and will most likely never be in the locker room with players. Charles Barkley said on Mike Wise's radio show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. that he has played with gay players. Honestly, at this point, with the country angling to become more liberal than ever, the debate over whether it would be weird is outdated and archaic. No one cares as long as you are good enough to play.

Hi, I'm John Amaechi and I'm gay and Tim Hardaway hates me.

 Other Shenanigans:
- There are eight ex-Wizards in the NBA Finals - Juwan Howard, Mike Miller, Mike Bibby, Zydraunas Ilgauskas, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, Deshawn Stevenson, and Brian Cardinal and yet the Wizards/Bullets have not been to the finals since 1979. Go figure.
-The most underrated storyline of the NBA finals (at least around Washington D.C.) is the continued battle between Deshawn Stevenson/Soulja Boy and Lebron James/Jay-Z. Once again, good is on Deshawn's side. (Throws up the hand to the face)

I almost miss this....ALMOST

-If you believe in conspiracy theories, David Stern has to consider the ramifications of the Heat winning the championship. The NBA is heading for an inevitable lockout and the last thing the NBA needs is for a whole legion of fans to be pissed that the Heat won the championship and might do so for the next five years. Just something to watch for.
-Is anyone as excited as I am for the new X-Men movie. James McAvoy was absolutely awesome in The Last King of Scotland (if you have not seen that movie yet....you have issues) and is sure to be a beast in the X-Men movie as well.

James McAvoy = STUD

-How did the Cavaliers win the first and the fourth picks in the draft just a year after Lebron left.....hmm.....WTF.
-It's June and no one cares about baseball.
-Look for the Wizards to trade up from #6 to #3 and draft Enes Kanter. I've been hearing some things, but that's all I'll say for now.

John Wall's future running mate?

 -Please bring football back...at least free agency. I can't take an entire summer of just baseball talk.

Bye Bye Jim Tressel....

 -Jim Tressel's resignation has to send shockwaves throughout the entire college sports world. Every major school is a possible target and it would be greatly entertaining to listen to the conversations between School Presidents, Athletic Directors, and Head Coaches.

and hello Adarsh Kannan...I definitely have the cooler sweater vest and glasses.