Completing The Journey & LeBron Talks About Loss Finally

As all of you know by now that 40 days ago I started a commitment to blog for 40 straight days. When I first started out on this venture a lot of people, including myself, believed that I didn't have the commitment to write for 40 days. However, as a co-brainchild of this blog (Franny is the other), I have come to love writing for this blog and keeping people up to date with relevant news and sports issues and letting my opinion on such issues be an influencing factor in the minds of those who read the posts.

I want to thank all the readers who tuned in every day and to those who only tuned in for one of the days in my quest. I would like to thank all the people that supported me in this venture and believed I could do it and that goes out to my good friends and writers of this blog. So a big thanks to Franny, for reading each of my posts and saying good things about them, and giving me the confidence to blog each day without the fear of sounding stupid. Also, thanks to the supporting crew: Gentlemanly Capitalism, Jen, and Mehpara Khan for believing in me. I would really like to thank my good friend MJY who tuned in for most of the posts about the NBA playoffs and commented on my facebook wall (next time just comment on the post, it's easier lol), I appreciate your thoughts MJY and go Lakers!! :)

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LeBron finally talked about not making the NBA Finals, and he insisted Cleveland's loss to Orlando will not impact his future with the Cavaliers. LeBron stormed out of Amway Arena without speaking to the media Saturday night after the Cavs were eliminated with a 103-90 loss to the Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The league MVP, who also did not shake hands with Olympic teammate Dwight Howard, or congratulate any Orlando players as he left the floor, said Sunday that he's happy in Cleveland and feels the Cavs made major progress this season.

"I'm great. I feel great about this situation that's going on," LeBron said. "You want to continue to get better, that's all you can ask. We got better and I feel this team will be better next season. You don't want to take a step backward. I think we went forward from the Boston series (a Game 7 loss in the semis) last year."

"Hopefully we can go forward next year." The Cavaliers won 66 regular-season games and their second Central Division title this season. LeBron, who averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists against Orlando, said he hasn't given any thought to signing a contract extension with the Cavs this summer. Cleveland can offer the extension on July 18 (the three-year anniversary of him signing his previous deal). "I don't know," James said when asked if he'll sign. "I haven't thought about it just yet. I'm just going to take time off from basketball and not think about contracts or the game period. I'll relax with my family we'll figure out once it comes from them."

James said he sent an e-mail to Howard following Saturday's game although he did not congratulate him after the game Saturday night. "It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said. "I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

Peace and Much Love To Ya!! :)

No Magic For Cleveland; 1 Day Left!!

Well, folks, maybe Kobe and LeBron will meet for the title in 2010 because this year, it's Superman's turn to go to the big dance. The Orlando Magic destroyed all hope for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 to earn a trip to the Finals. Overlooked and begging for respect all season, the Magic can no longer be ignored, and after 14 frustrating years of losing and disgruntled superstars, they've returned to the NBA finals.

Dwight Howard dominated inside for 40 points, while Rashard Lewis added 18 and the Magic, a team that can make 3-pointers rain like a thunderstorm out of thin air, hit 12 in a 103-90 victory over LeBron James and the Cavs in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.

The Magic will be making their first finals appearance since 1995, one year before the other Superman, Shaquille O'Neal, bolted as a free agent for Los Angeles, leaving the Florida franchise in ruins. It's been a long, slow climb back, but Orlando has been rebuilt with a more faithful Superman and will meet those same Lakers on Thursday night at the Staples Center for Game 1 of the NBA finals, in the battle of Disney World vs. Disneyland, ok not really but it's fun to say.

Oh, and memo to Nike executives: It's time to break out the Dwight Howard puppet (not possible 'cause he's endorsed by Adidas). LeBron's can go in summer storage. For now, the only matchup between LeBron James and Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant will have to be limited to those cute TV commercials. I'm really gonna miss those commercials though.

With the city's most famous athlete, Tiger Woods, sitting courtside, Orlando made believers of all those who wondered if they were better than the Cavaliers, a team that won 66 games in the regular season.

LeBron scored 25 in his worst game of the series, but the Chosen One was magnificent for most of it, adding to a legacy still in its early stages. However, the league MVP had to do most of the work alone, as Mo Williams (17 points) lost his shooting touch (maybe it flew away in LeBron's pregame chalk?) and Cleveland's bench was badly outplayed by Orlando's reserves. Delonte West did add 22 points for the Cavs though.

During the closing minutes, LeBron was mocked by Orlando's crowd chanting "M-V-P" as Howard shot free throws. And after Superman muscled underneath for a thunderous dunk with 2:21 left, the crowd moved into finals mode chanting, "Beat L.A.!" Howard's one flaw has been his free-throw shooting, but he made 12 of 16 in Game 6.

The Magic's season hasn't been without its share of turmoil. All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in early February, a setback that at the time seemed as if it would prevent Orlando from doing anything special this year. But general manager Otis Smith acquired guard Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston in a trade with Houston. Alston, a former playground legend, fit in perfectly. Then, following Game 5 of the Boston series, Howard called out Van Gundy for not getting him the ball enough and challenged his coaching. The Magic shook that off too, winning two straight, including Game 7 on Boston's home floor.

In the conference finals, they beat Cleveland with a devastating mix of inside power and outside firepower. Everything that could go wrong did in the first half for the Cavs. They couldn't stop Superman in the paint and when Cleveland's defense focused its efforts on containing him, the Magic worked the ball around the arc and took turns launching 3-pointers. On Cleveland's last possession before halftime, LeBron, who didn't score in the period, drove the lane and missed a runner while being knocked to the floor. He sat there in disbelief, looking for a foul, looking lost, looking for some hope. Cleveland's coaching staff stormed off barking at the officiating crew and coach Mike Brown was issued a technical foul.

When the final horn sounded, LeBron could only pull out his jersey and walk slowly off the floor just as he did last year in the Eastern Conference finals after losing Game 7 in Boston. As great as LeBron was, this just wasn't his season, and once again Cleveland fans will feel nothing but heartache as they wait for a team to end the city's 45-year championship drought. The city of Orlando just had a little bit more Magic in them.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Kobe Leads Lakers Back To The Finals; 2 Days Left

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, are headed back to the NBA Finals after beating the Denver Nuggets 119-92 in game 6 on Friday night. Kobe had a lot of scoring help from his supporting cast once again, mainly from, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom as the Lakers shot 57.3 percent from the field to avoid having to play a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals back at the Staples Center. Odom and Gasol both scored 20 points and Ariza had 17, and the Lakers made all 24 of their free throws.

A hobbled Melo led the way for the Nuggets with 25 points and J.R. Smith added 24, but Denver trailed for all but a few seconds and never mounted a serious charge after halftime, although they kept hitting 3-pointers. Kobe didn't wait for the fourth quarter Friday night to give the Nuggets, who had posted eight postseason blowouts, a taste of their own medicine. He scored 11 points in a decisive 21-7 run that gave the Lakers a 53-40 halftime lead, which took the buzz out of the Pepsi Center and the air out of the Nuggets like they had taken a punch to gut. Kobe would end the night with his stat line stuffed by 35 points, 10 assists (see he CAN pass people!!), and 6 rebounds

The Lakers will finally get some much-needed and much-deserved rest after playing every other day over the course of a grueling two weeks. These Lakers, who are headed to their record 30th NBA Finals and are seeking their 15th title, are a more grizzled group, but are also more bruised and battered, than the one that fell to Boston in the finals last year. Instead of cruising through the West like last year; this time, the Lakers survived an arduous seven-game semifinal series against Houston and a very physical battle in 6 games against Denver.

The Lakers will face either Orlando or Cleveland in the finals. The Magic lead 3-2 and can clinch the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night at home in Game 6 and prevent the Kobe Bryant/Lebron James final that has all basketball fans (even casual ones) and corporate sponsors in a frenzy. The finals begin Thursday, at Los Angeles if Orlando wins, and at Cleveland if the Cavaliers prevail in their quest to rise from the brink of elimination.

Random Stuffs
- Los Angeles also became the first team to make consecutive NBA Finals appearances since the Pistons in '04 and '05.

- With Friday's loss, the Nuggets have now dropped eight straight contests when faced with playoff elimination. It's the longest such streak for any team in NBA history.

- Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 35 points and 10 assists, and now has scored at least 500 points in four different postseasons. Only Michael Jordan, who accomplished the feat eight times, has done it more.

- George Karl fell to 0-10 in postseason series after losing Game 1, the worst such record in NBA history.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

*Note: I realize in my last post I made an error when I said that the Magic had 2 chances to end their series with Cleveland early, when in fact they only have one chance to end it early. I apologize to everyone for the misinformation.

LeBron Sends It Back To Orlando; 3 Days Left

"You ain't gonna win in my house" that's what Lebron James' play in game 5 seemed to speak to the Orlando Magic as he refused to let the Cleveland Cavaliers' season come to an end on Thursday night.

With Cleveland's sensational season on the line, LeBron had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams, who boldly predicted his team would come back and win this series which looked one sided, finally showed up to play and added 24 points in the Cavaliers' 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic. For Cleveland, a city banking on LeBron to deliver a championship after a 45-year drought, the MVP was again in a league of his own. LeBron scored 21 points in the second half (17 in the fourth quarter) and had a hand in 29 of Cleveland's 34 points in the final 12 minutes.

It's back to Florida for Game 6 on Saturday night at amped-up Amway Arena. The Magic overcame a 22-point deficit but missed their first opportunity to close out the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947 to rally and win a series after being down 3-1, the Magic now have 2 more chances to end this series early, to reach the NBA finals for the first time since 1995.

Hedo Turkoglu had 29 points to lead the Magic, while Dwight Howard had 24 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:22 remaining when he was called for his sixth personal foul while trying to stop the LeBron on a drive.

Even Superman couldn't deny the Chosen One, and this time Mo-Will, his trusty side-kick all year finally showed up in the postseason to help out the Chosen One. As did Zydrunas Ilgauskus (16 points), Delonte West (13 points), and Daniel Gibson (11 points) who had two key momentum swinging 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

The Magic have twice ended series on the road this postseason, winning a Game 6 in Philadelphia in the first round and a Game 7 in Boston to make it to the conference finals. For a while it looked like Orlando might do it again, taking a 79-78 lead into the fourth quarter, but LeBron had other plans. He picked up his first assist of the period on a 3-pointer by Williams and his second on a 3 by Gibson. Cleveland then turned to the Chosen One every time down on offense, spreading the floor and forcing the Magic to defend him. If he wasn't backing down the lane, he was getting to the charity stripe or setting his teammates up from the perimeter. He also had four rebounds and four assists in the final quarter. Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said it best, "The game is basically, all LeBron, all the time."

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Lakers Bounce Back To Take The Lead; 4 Days Left

The Los Angeles Lakers owned the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets, Wednesday night. Now they have a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals. Kobe changed his approach for the game and dared the Nuggets to double team him. With Kobe luring double coverage then passing to his teammates, the Lakers owned the fourth quarter in a 103-94 victory.

"It was a big gamble for me coming in, but I wanted to change my approach this game and be more of a decoy," Kobe said after the game, "The past couple games they really were loading to my side and I figured I could be a decoy and try to give chances to my teammates."

Kobe scored an efficient 22 points (he took just 13 shots) and added 8 assists, several of them out of double-teams in the fourth quarter. Lamar Odom had 19 points and 14 rebounds despite an aching lower back and Pau Gasol added 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers' front court finally showed up to play and took the pressure off of Kobe.

Game 6 is Friday in Denver, where the Lakers lost Game 4 by 19 points. Melo led the Nuggets Wednesday night with 31 points, hitting 12 of 13 free throws, while Chauncey Billups and K-Mart each added 12 a piece.

The teams were tied after the first, second and third quarters for just the fourth time in NBA playoff history. So it all came down to the final 12 minutes of the game. The trio of Kobe, Odom and Pau teamed for all but seven of the Lakers' 27 points in the fourth. They opened on an 11-0 run for their first lead of the second half and it was capped by a jumper from Shannon Brown that beat the shot clock. The Nuggets came storming back and used a 13-6 run to close it to 93-89 as Linas Kleiza scored 7 straight and Melo added 6 in the run. But then the Lakers regained control and finished off the victory. They improved to 20-0 in Game 5's at home when a series is tied 2-2.

Melo hit a jumper to get Denver to 96-91 with 1:24 remaining. But the Nuggets went cold from the field over the final 3:38, and the Lakers capitalized at the line. Los Angeles outscored Denver 10-5 in that span, including making six of eight free throws. This time, it was Denver coach George Karl's turn to complain about the officiating, after Lakers coach Phil Jackson and his organization were fined $25,000 each for griping after Game 4 about the officiating."I thought they got the benefit of the whistle," Karl said. "Every player in my locker room is frustrated, from guards to big guys. Gasol goes after at least 20 jump shots, 20 shots to the rim and gets one foul; our big guys have 16. Nene has six fouls, three or four of them don't exist."

Denver returns home needing a victory to send the series back to Los Angeles for a Game 7 on Sunday. However, history is on the Lakers' side. They haven't lost a best-of-7 series that was tied 2-2 after winning Game 5 since the 1969 NBA finals against Boston.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Magic Takes Control; 5 Days Left

It took an overtime session, but the Orlando Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final score of 116-114 Tuesday night. The series will now shift back to Cleveland for Game 5, where the Cavs now have their backs against the wall and face a situation where they must win three consecutive games.

Dwight Howard scored 10 points in overtime and the Magic rained threes like it was a Florida thunderstorm, to withstand 44 points and a last-second shot by LeBron James, to take a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals, and only need one more win to advance to the NBA finals for the first time since 1995. Howard finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and again made his free throws (7 of 9) for the resilient Magic, who made a team record 17 3-pointers (11 after halftime). Rafer Alston had 26 points, while Rashard Lewis and Mikael Pietrus (off the bench) added 17 points each for the Magic.

LeBron James was spectacular again, scoring 44 points on 13-of-29 shooting, including a three-pointer to bring Cleveland within one in the final seconds of overtime, he also added 12 rebounds and seven assists, but he had eight turnovers for the Cavs, whose season of a lifetime is slipping away right before their eyes.

After Lewis made one of two free throws with 3.2 seconds left to give the Magic the 116-114 lead, the Cavs had one final chance; and every person inside Amway Arena and millions watching on TV knew who was going to get it, LeBron James. The league MVP, who saved the Cavs with a 3-pointer at the final horn in Game 2, was double-teamed on the inbounds pass but still managed to get free. He came back and got the ball before dribbling into the frontcourt as Magic fans held their collective breath. James then rose from 35 feet, and with a clean look at the basket, sent his shot toward the rim as the silent crowd could only gaze. It fell short, and Cleveland's dream season may be next.

Cleveland's Mo Williams, who guaranteed the Cavs would win Game 4 and the series, scored 18 points, and none after the third quarter. Delonte West added 17 and Zydrunas Ilgauskus had 12 as the Cavs struggled all night to find secondary scorers. Following the game, Magic fans chanted "One more win." And history is on the Magic's side heading into Game 5. Teams with a 3-1 lead are a staggering 182-8 in series dating back to 1947. All Cleveland fans can do now is hope their team can rise from the ashes.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Nuggets Crush Lakers; 6 Days Left

The Denver Nuggets evened the Western Conference finals at 2 games a piece after they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 120-101 Monday night in game 4 despite a gimpy Carmelo Anthony.

Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith scored 24 points each and Kenyon Martin posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Melo battled himself all night to post a hard-fought 15 points as the Nuggets posted their eighth blowout win of the postseason but their first one against Los Angeles following three games that came down to the final seconds.

The Nuggets didn't need to worry about silly mistakes like the botched inbounds passes in the closing seconds that cost them wins in Games 1 and 3, although Kobe had another monster fourth quarter in a furious attempt to re-energize his team and insert some confidence within them now that the series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 5 Wednesday night. Kobe, who is averaging 37 points a game in the series, scored 34, including 14 in the fourth quarter. He put a scare into the Nuggets and their fans until J.R. Smith hit back-to-back dagger 3-pointers for a 113-96 cushion.

Melo's shooting slump continued as he went 3-for-16 and missed his first 10 shots. To make matters worse, he rolled his right ankle in the first half. At the break, he needed fluids and had his ankle retaped, then returned with a dogged determination to help the Nuggets however he possibly could to pull even in the series.

Kobe and Pau (21 points) kept the Lakers in close most of the game. The Lakers cut a 16-point deficit to 102-92 on four Bryant free throws with 3:49 left thanks to technicals on K-Mart and Melo. But the Nuggets relied on a balanced attack with Melo ailing (seven players scored in double digits) and while they still didn't shoot very good from the floor (44 percent), they did work the ball around for better looks, attacked the lane more and got to the charity stripe (49 free throws). This accomplished exactly what all those misfirings couldn't in Game 3 to energize the raucous Pepsi Center crowd. The Nuggets, who haven't lost back-to-back home games all season, were coming off their first loss in the Mile High City since March 9.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)