NBA Playoffs - Day 36

Suns Recover With A Win

Phoenix 106 Dallas 86

Just like their series against the Lakers . the Suns capitalize on the emotions of their players to tie the series , 2-2 . with the Mavericks. It was an emotion filled game last night with the return of an 'emotional' Raja Bell from an injury. ' His agent called me last night and said that we have to shoot Raja to prevent him from playing ' said coach D'Antoni . Bell despite playing hurt made his first 2 shots of the game. Bell was terrific also in defense showing his usual punk that made opponents lose their composures. ' I bet Raja will feel the pain the next morning ' said Steve Kerr.
The emotional high from Raja's court presence was compared by some to Willis Reed's appearance in the 1970 Knick vs. Lakers championship game . Well , not quite. In that game ( no 7 ) , a hobbling Reed entered the court late to the surprise of the crowd , his teammates and especially the Lakers. The dramatic entrance and the fact that Reed made his 1st 2 jumpshots disoriented Chamberlain and the rest of the Lakers that they were not able to recover . Craig Sager asked Raja after the game, ' Is that why you wear no.19 ( Reed's uniform number ) ? ' . ' No. 19 is my birthday ' said a smiling Raja. That Sager . He's really funny . Raja also thinks he's funny.
Funnier than those TNT TV guys who appeared like fools for questioning his decision to play !


There is no Suns who benefited more from Raja's presence than ' LB ' . LB is no other than Leandro Barbosa. LB felt more confident with Bell around. It's like the weight of the world is lifted from his shoulders and so now he can be his old self again ' said one writer. LB scored a playoff career high . LB was shooting from the 3 pt. line and driving to the basket all night long. Amazing. Even Dirk Nowitzki was impressed . ' We watched Barboza in previous series and we know what he is capable of doing ' said Norwitzi . The last time LB was just as lethal as was when the horse Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby. I guess LB's fortune is tied up with Barbaro , the horse. As you know , Barbaro was badly injured during the Preakness , the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown. Badly, that Barbaro was almost killed by his owners. In the old days , horses who get injured were subjected to 'mercy killing' . Like shooting them . Anyway , Barbaro was reported to be recovering well after its chances were placed at 50/50 for some time.
So you see , Barbosa's and Barbaro's fates are intertwined.
LB is Leandro Barbosa .
LB is for Live Barbaro !

NBA Playoffs - Day 35

' Fat Lady ' Readying For The Pistons

Miami 89 Detroit 78

Miami made it 2 straight against the Pistons to bring the Motown ballers on the brink of elimination , 1-3. Dwayne Wade was spectacular with assortment of shots which gave everyone a peek of his forthcoming greatness. ' Wade is better than Michael Jordan ' Pat Riley once said of his outstanding guard. ' If I am to start a team , I will pick DWade first over LeBron ' quotes sports columnist Frank Isola of one unnamed baller . Why all the accolades ? . Consider that in this playoffs , Wade was shooting a high percentage and he has added the 3 pt. shot to his arsenal . Of course , there are the breathtaking drives to the basket that leave one really amazed. He gets up after every hard fall like it was nothing. Like last night . After a hard foul from Dale Davies and an intentional one from Richard Hamilton. Ones only worry is with the type of punishments his body receives every game , how long will Wade last. Dwayne should take an insurance. Aside from the regular NBA insurance . Like J LO did . She has her ass insured for $ 1 million before she became a big star. Or the type of insurance that journalists get when they get assigned to a dangerous place Iraq . Like those poor CBS reporters. Yeh that . A war risk insurance .The painted area of the court can be considered a war zone for a driving D Wade !



The Heat's victory was made possible through the great job by Udonis Haslem. Haslem came through last night after so-so performances in the earlier games. ' My teammates told me to just keep shooting the ball. If the jump shot was not there , I drove to the basket ' explained Udonis to the reporters. Udonis has become the most reliable of all Heat support players to Wade and Shaq. And it appears to be the most trusted too. Shaq calls him Clemenza after the trusted aide to the fictional Corleone family of the Godfather movie . Shaq said he is Vito Corleone , DWade is Michael and Udonis is the trusted and ever reliable Clemenza. With Udonis and the other slugs contributing , the Heat are likely to eliminate the Pistons in game 5 . ' The Pistons fate is hanging on balance ' writes one newspaperman . ' The Pistons are not dead yet but The Fat Lady is on the sideline practicing her voice ' added NBA TV Analyst , Fred Carter
Actually , they are all very kind .
To Clemenza , ' the Pistons are swimming with the fishes '
I t will be kaffiz, Clemenza.

NBA Playoffs - Day 34

Mavs Run Suns To Death

Dallas 95 Phoenix 88

The Mavs and Suns tried to run all night but Dallas kept on going to win and seize the lead in their series , 2-1.
Coach AverY Johnson threw the full force of his bench to keep the depleted Suns gasping for air. ' We were tired. ' We just play without the usual aggresiveness and attitude ' both Steve Nash and his coach said. ' Do you think Raja Bell' s presence could have help ' asked a reporter . Steve answered in affirmative but I think he meant anyone who can run would be welcome. The Suns were really tired from all the running that ex Laker great Gail Goodrich said ' The Suns were fatigued . Active Shawn Marion was just standing in one spot most of the time ' . On the other hand , the Mavs threw fresh bodies at the Suns all the time. Van Horn , Harris , Griffin and the Mavs bench. Not all of them. Eric Dampier did not see a second of action. In fact , the first 3 games of the series , coach Johnson relied heavily on back up center Sagana Diop. ' I think he only played more than 30 minutes in about 3 games ' said TNT Analyst Steve Kerr . Then , there is Dirk Nowizki of course. Dirk was shooting 3's again. ' He's truly one of Germany's sports heroes today' said Kerr . I wonder if Dirk would be one of Hitler's Youth had he been born earlier . They say the present Pope , who is German , was. Pope Benedictine's association with the Nazi Youth was highlighted again during his latest visit to Poland and the concentration camps . It's good that now it's just Heill Mark !

There was one testy moment in the game . It started when Mav Howard gave a driving Tim Thomas a hard foul . Thomas actually played it cool. However , on the way to the free throw line , Thomas barged into the Mavs players on a conference . I guess Tim thinks that Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavs are all ' fugazis . Like Kenyon Martin then playing for New Jersey. He called the former Net a ' fugazi ' and challenged him to a boxing match. This was after a hard foul given him by K Mart's teammate , Jason Collins ( see photo ) . ' Fugazi ' was a term used by Al Pacino and Johnnie Depp in the mob movie Donnie Brasco. It is supposed to mean fake toughness.
Dirk Nowitski is not a ' fugazi ' . Dirk doesn't understand Italian as he is German. Instead , Tim can call him ' fu Nazi ' !



Mr. Depp are you a fugazi ?

NBA Playoffs - Day 33

Miami Heat Hacks Pistons

Miami 98 Detroit 83

Shaq and Dwayne Wade led the torture of the hapless Pistons last night to lead the series 2-1 .
The Pistons are without their swagger again. Yes, there were paltry resistances from Mr. Big Shot and 'Sheed, but no Prince . No Big Ben. It was like the Pistons were a spent force midway into the series. I think the fans of Motown are in a funky mood right now not knowing what to do to wake up their beloved team . Especially Big Ben . He was atrocious in the foul throw line. Worse than Shaq. A lot worse. ' One must feel for Ben ' the announcer said. Not really said the Pistons fans. They cannot understand how one can call himself a professional basketball player and shoot 20% of his foul shots. Ben was so terrible that the Heat was enjoying doing the ' Hack- A-Ben ' to him. ' It's a good strategy. Fouling Ben breaks Detroit's momemtum ' said Pat Riley . It means that unlike Hack-A-Shaq which the opponents resort to only at the closing minutes of the ballgame , to send Ben to the foul line , can be done anytime during the game ! Besides , Shaq is now making his foul shots. You feel see the anger in the Pistons fans' eyes.To them Ben has suddenly became a villain. His teammates tried not to look at Ben . Ben was becoming ostracized by the whole team. Ben feels like Ben Laden !

Shaq meantime was the Shaq of old. Sort of . ' Shaq is forever young ' announced Bill Walton of ESPN. The way Shaq was dominating the game , it certainly was half true . ' He totally outscored the Pistons frontline ' Walton added. He was good last night but not totally dominating .It's really different from his LA days where Shaq was the bread and butter of the team. The opponents shudder at thought of tangling with him. Several times during this series, Shaq laid sprawling on the floor. Even Shaq defers to Wade now. Wade is the Heat's leader . The crowd knows that . Payton should know that.
One writer was not too happy with Shaq's actuation. He thinks that he still earn the biggest bucks , and to capitulate to Wade is ducking the responsibilities . ' Shaq should give back part of his salary ' the writer angrily said. ' The Heat must cut his salary as part of cost cutting. Like companies do . No way . I survived ' Hack-A-Shaq' , there is no way I will agree to ' Cut-A-Shaq ' Shaq must have said .

' Cut-A-S'haq ', hmmm

NBA Playoffs - Day 32

Mavs Learn Its Lessons , Bounce Back

Dallas 105 Phoenix 98

The Mavs learned from their mistakes in game 1 to beat Steve Nash and the Suns last night. Dallas held on to its lead despite Tim Thomas accurate 3 pt. shots . ' Dallas is staying with Steve . The Mavs guards are not leaving their men when he enters the shaded area ' said Hubie Brown. Good for them. The lessons of the past started to sink in . Until the next game. Let's see. Midway in the 4th quarter , the Jet found his marks . After firing blanks earlier , Terry together with Jerry Stackhouse , came alive and made basket after basket to keep the Suns at bay. Phoenix did not have the answer this time . Stackhouse was driving to the basket seemingly at will. ' Stackhouse always drives to the right . One should be aware of this all the time ' opined Steve Kerr. Steve Nash is more likely dish out a pass to a teammate rather than do a lay up . And so on and so forth. Players must therefore review and absorb the scouting report on their opponents. It's not as easy as it seems . Most players hate anything that means ' study ' , ' review ' and ' reports '. These words remind them of their school days. However , I bet these players remember every movement of the Playstation version of their opponents !

The key to Mavericks' victory is playing with a sense of urgency. ' They are not playing in desperation ' said Charles Barkley . Had the Mavs lossed, they would be desperate alright. They cannot afford to go down 0-2 with the next 2 games in Phoenix. Barkley picked the Mavs to win the series against the Suns. This made a number of people in the Valley wonder if Barkley is not unfair to their team. The former Suns player defends his choice . ' Over the long haul , can the Suns make enough 3s on a seven game series against a team like Dallas . I don't think so ' Barkley said. Despite of the Suns record in a long drawn out series ? The Suns beat LA Lakers in 7 games in the 1st round of the playoffs. In the next round , they beat LA Clippers also in 7 games. So the Suns coaching staff and the players have devised some simple plans.
End the series before game 7 or if there is a game 7 ,
Pretend the DalLAs Mavericks , are the LA Mavericks !


We will beat LA Mavs !

NBA Playoffs - Day 31

Piston's Focus Results In Game 2 Win

Detroit 92 Miami 88

The Detroit Pistons came out of the gate ready to do battle this time. Unlike game 1 , the Pistons were ready to play ball and kept the Heat at a safe distance all night except in the closing minute of the game . The series is now tied at 1-1. ' Who did that ? Us ? ' asked both Pat Riley and Dwayne Wade in disbelief when told how they were able to score 17 points in 1'47'' of the game. The Heat tried hard to narrow the gap earlier but Prince and the 2 Wallaces kept the Detroit's scoring machine humming. ' They won the hustle points ' said Hubie Brown . Particularly Ben Wallace who was an offensive force . He also went for the long rebounds and more importantly ' controlled ' Shaq . At one stretch of the game , Shaq was called for sucessive offensive fouls. ' You'll get a blackeye and headaches afterwards ' said Ben . Part of the game. Shaq seems to enjoy inflicting ' damage ' to centers of opposing teams. On the other hand , the opposing centers seem OK to the punishments that Shaq inflicts on them. Unbelievable. After some time , the NBA noticed this affliction. It's called the ' battered center syndome '. I guess this sydrome is what led Charles Barkley to say ' after the game , you go home and beat your wife '.

The Pistons were focused this time according to Rip Hamilton. ' We didn't have focus in the last game ( 1 ) that's why we played bad. ' I hear that excuse everytime from all ballers. Not only from the Pistons. Vince , Wade , LeBron . All. Us ordinary mortals are left wondering what these ballers have in mind when they are not focusing on the game. Definitely not their home mortgages or the tuition fees for the kids. Not even the condo payment for girlfriend no.1 . What makes a baller lose focus causing a dip in his game ? Maybe jail time will do the trick. Rip and other ballers will learn to focus on the game if they know that they are liable for lack of focus .The lack of attention or focus cannot be used as an excuse anymore in the corporate world. Ask Enron's Lay and Skilling . The 2 face decades of prison time for what they claim was not knowing what's happening at Enron forcing the once powerful energy company to go bankrupt !

NBA Playoffs - Day 30

Phoenix's SmallBall Wins Game 1

Phoenix 121 Dallas 118

The Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks in a shootfest last night to draw first blood in their series. Both teams played a fast game particularly Phoenix . ' The Mavs better not celebrate after a basket as the Suns will be at the other end in 3 seconds making their own ' said TNT Analyst Doug Collins. It was that kind of offense that any lead can disappear in a huff. ' We can be down by 10 points and be at the lead in a minute ' said Suns' Tim Thomas . ' That's the way we play ' . Exactly , Dallas was leading by as much as 10 points with 4 minutes left , when Steve Nash buckled down to work both in the offensive and defensive ends. He drilled a 3 pointer and made an incredible layup . Steve twisted his body like a pretzel while making the basket that TNT Analyst Steve Kerr was left asking ' How did he do that '. Amazing . Actually Steve made several circus shots in his career, these no longer surprise Suns' followers. Steve excellent footwork is attributed to him having played soccer . ' ' He has very good footwork like Olajuwon , another soccer playing baller ' added Collins . Remember that ' cabezada ' Steve used to assist Amare S. in 2005 Slam Dunk contest ? That's a soccer move. Steve is not the only one in the family who is good at soccer . His father was into soccer and a brother is a professinal soccer player based in Europe. You can say that the whole Nash family is a sucker for soccer.

Actually , despite Steve's heroics , the Suns victory would not had been possible without Boris Diaw. Diaw was simply unbelievable last night even scoring the last basket with 4 seconds left.
He scored a career high and made baskets in a variety of ways. ' Diaw used to flip the ball , but as soon as he learns to use power and dunk the ball , he will be amazing ' Collins said . As if on cue , Diaw dunked the ball in his next basket. He actually has shown unlimited talent. Short for a center ( 6'8'' ) , Diaw makes up for the lack in height with his versatility and hardwork. In this era of smallball ( ? ) , Diaw posseses the qualities needed to make it work. I think , smallball to really be adopted by the whole NBA must show more tangible proof. Meaning the Suns must go all the way . Then Shaq will really be extinct. Imagine the Suns meeting Miami in the Finals . Riley, to match the Suns speed , will be forced to bench Shaq . A $25 million a year baller sitting on the bench. Greg O.( in the left photo ) slipping from no.1 in next year's draft , teams letting go of marginal big guys , forwards playing centers and so on . Unfortunately for team owners, smallball does not equal small salary !

Greg Oden

NBA Playoffs - Day 29

Heat Starts ' No Excuses ' Campaign With Win

Miami 91 Detroit 86

The Pistons played like pussycats in the face of a real competition and as expected lost. Miami starring foul plagued Dwayne Wade toyed with the Pistons to win the series opener. Wade played only 25 minutes and scored 28 points. Shaq , saddled with fouls as well , still proved to be a handful to the Piston's big men. Like in the New Jersey series , the slugs took care of business. Walker continued his excellent performance this time against defensive specialist , Prince. ' He is very hard to guard , Walker can put the ball down or pop it from afar ' said Hubie Brown . Payton was active all througout the game. He held his own against Billups. More important , Payton held his own ...mouth in control. No thrash talking to wake the lethargic Pistons like in this photo during his Lakers days.

The Pistons lack the swagger on display in their series vs. Cleveland. The players don't think so . ' We are OK. We still have the shots but they're just hitting the front of the rim . We will be ready in the next game ' said Billups . They better be or else it is going to be a short series. This is the type of game that Vinny Johnson excelled. . A member of the Detroit ' Bad Boys ' of the 80's. The coach puts Vinny to provide ' instant offense ' . Vinny was the original Microwave ' . In one playoff game , Vinny had a head to head collisioned with teammate , Adrian Dantley , putting both out of the game in the very critical period. The Pistons lost the game and was eliminated with Vinny' unexpected departure . The following year , Detroit captured the NBA championship. Vinny was the missing link to the NBA crown and some say to ,,,,

The Heat adopted the ' No Excuses ' motto. ' Wade is healthy and Shaq is healthy . The supporting cast is stronger . All the ingredients are here. ' said coach Pat Riley . All the Heat players need to do is leave their ego on the door and the rest will be alright. There is definitely no more excuse. How appropriate to use ' No Excuses ' as the motto. But for sure Riley knows that Donna Rice used ' No Excuses ' for her jeans ad. For those who do know , Ms. Rice , was the one who brought an end to Gary Hart's 1988 US Presidential campaign . At that time , Hart was ahead by 20 percentage point of his closest opponent for the Democratic nomination. Hart was photographed with Ms. Rice sitting on his lap. He lost the nomination.

It's just that Rice and eggo are both appetizing . Riley better hope that putting Heat to Rice and Egg o will not make the mix combustible !

NBA Playoffs - Day 28

Dallas Not Nice To The Spurs In Game 7

Dallas 119 San Antonio 111

Dallas won the ' Heavyweight Fight ' according to coach Avery Johnson to face Phoenix for the Western conference crown. It was a up and down fight at the end after a hot start by the Mavs and poor one by the Spurs. The Spurs were behind by as much as 20 points. ' It was the worst 1st half in my 5 years here ' said San Anronio guard Tony Parker . The Mavs on the other hand were hot, shooting 6o% in the 1st half led by Jason Terry and Howard.
The 2nd half was a different story. The Spurs with the big 3 ( Duncan,Ginobili,Parker ) playing aggressively , rallied to lead for the 1st time. Manu's 3 pointer with seconds left resulted in jubilation by the hometown crowd including Spurs owner Peter Holt , shown here in the photo with Eva L. . On the other side , Mark Cuban was the picture of disbelief. He can't believe that Mavs were in the cusp of defeat once again after being so close to victory. Then a miracle happened . Manu fouled a driving Nowitzki who made the basket for a 3 point play. Overtime. Sagana Diop fresh from the long rest killed the Spurs. He scored , rebounded ,and guarded Duncan in the extension . The Spurs were a spent force in the OT. They were too tired to battle it out with the young legs of the Mavs. ' Diop was huge for the Mavs . He scored 6 points in just 8 mins. in the regulation period and was active in OT ' Steve Kerr said . Cuban is a wise owner . But he was a wiser businessman . Mark let go of Finley to avoid paying about $ 5o million in luxury tax . He also let go of center Bradley and gor 2 centers from Africa. Diop and Congolese one. Instead of getting from Europe as some team do , he got players from Africa. Mark is doing what most businessmen do nowadays. He outsourced from countries where labor is cheap !

The battle of Texas brought out the nastiness in the Mavericks . Asst. coach Dell Harris shouted at Duncan in game 6 . Earlier , Cuban cursed a surprised Bowen and made fun of Riverwalk. He has apologized to Bowen later on. It ain't time to be nice according to Texas group Dixie Chicks ' I am ashamed that the President of the USA is from Texas ' the lead singer of the group once said . She apologized for this remark but recanted the apology recently. How about Cuban ? Will he apologize and recant it too ?

I don't think Cuban will recant his apology . You see , he is not from Texas.

Suns Beat Another LA Team In 7

Phoenix 127 LA Clippers 107

The Suns conducted a basketball clinic last night in the game vs. the Clippers . The game was a drill on passing and shooting specifically in the 3 pt. area. Basketball efficiency in full display. What makes the game especially embarrassing to the Clippers was that the lessons were from a younger team like the Suns . ' He will always be my rook ' said Sam Cassell of Steve Nash. If Steve is still a rookie to Sam , that makes the likes of Barbosa , Jones , Bell and the other Suns ' babies ' . Maybe Nash and the other older member of the Suns discovered the fountain of youth. Yes , it's called rest. After a 3 day hiatus , the MVP played like the MVP registering a double double. Steve was unstoppable . ' The Clippers don't know how to guard Steve ' said Doug Collins. ' They were guarding him differently in game 6 ' he added. Steve always found the open man . In most of the time , Marion was the lucky recepient .His 3 point shots from the corners were deadly ( 55% ) . If the Clips guards press him , the Matrix in him was evident by driving to the basket '.

One thing noticeable in last night's game was the amount of complaining the Clippers made to the refs. Just about every call made against them was the subject the Clips complain. ' The Clips should just play the game . While they are complaining , the Suns are making their fast break .' said Doug Collins '. Cutino Mobley was a constant complainer . He approached the refs for every call. It was unbelievable. The zebras gave him a ' T ' ' It's hard to say good stuff. ' said Mobley . We shouldn't be here , talking about going home ' .Who said they're going home. The truth is , the Clips are not going home.

If you will ask Kenny of Inside The NBA , they will just go fishin' !

NBA Playoffs - Day 27

Pistons Whip Cavaliers In Game 7

Detroit 79 Cleveland 61

Detroit marched to the finals of the Eastern conference with an easy , well at least in the second haf , victory over upstart Cleveland. After leading by only 4 points in the 1st half , the Pistons went to work in the final half . They applied their vaunted defense coupled with a smooth offense missing in the past 3 games. ' We have always played good defense in this series but now our offense came with it ' said victorious coach Flip Sanders. The Pistons offense was led by a baller formerly known as Prince , the defensive specialist. Prince topscored for Detroit with 20 points.
Now, the Motown ballers rest for a day before they face the waiting Miami Heat . Miami with a well rested Shaq and a healthy Dwayne Wade has a better supporting cast this time. A strong supporting cast noticeably lacking in the Cavs line up. James must get assurance from Cleveland management that it will continue tinkering with the line up before signing a contract extension. He definitely need a consistently strong second scorer in the mold of a say Richard Jefferson. Like MJ has Scottie . Like Duncan has Tony Parker . Like Bill Clinton has Hilary. Like Brad has Angelina. Or is it the other way around . Angelina has Brad . Who is more popular ? No doubt . Angelina . There's even talk about Angelina for President. Angelina is shown here in the photo talking to the UN Sec. Gen. Koffi Annan. Maybe she is asking Koffi for a cup of coffee !

The Miami team is eager to exact revenge from last year's defeat since they disposed of New Jersey several days ago. Some , however , think a long layoff is a disadvantage. You know a case of ' rust ' or 'rest ' . Former NBA great , Doug Collins believes rest is better . ' It does'nt take much to get back to condition. Maybe after the 1st quarter , you're back in rythm '. Miami is healthy this time . Dwayne Wade last year had a rib injury . Shaq definitely benefited from the long rest . Riley said that Shaq play better with 2-3 days rest between games . Shaq has more than that. Expect a ferocious Shaq Attack !

But the key to Miami's victory will be the slugs. Walker , Williams , Posey and Payton must play really well. Like they did against the Nets . Riley should be thanking the Chuckster for calling Wade and Shaq's supporting cast slugs. Since Barkley used this term on Walker and Co. , they started playing well although they are reportedly not happy to be called slugs. ' . These Miami players should not be too sensitive ' Barkley said in Inside The NBA . ' They should just play ' he added. And they did . Barkley feels he must continue challenging the Miami supporting cast.

I think he bet the Heat will beat the Pistons . For $ .5 miilion perhaps !

What should I call them this time ? Morons .

American Idol

American Idol And Idols Playing NBA Ball

It was Elliot Yamin who got the least number of votes this week . In one of the most tightly contested voting ever , Yamin got 33.02 % of the votes . Katy Mc Phee and Taylor Hicks got 33.26% and 33.32% respectively. It is now down to 2. Next week , AI will crown the champion for this year's edition of the top rated show.

Talking about champion , it was award winning actor Jamie Foxx's team which captured the championship of this year's NBA Entertainers League. Jamie proudly showed his NBAEL ring which is just like the real thing . ' I am as proud of it as my Oscar ' said Foxx in an interview conducted for the Jim Rome Show . Jamie recently taped a rah rah message shown on giant TV of The Palace during game 5 of the Pistons-Cavaliers game. The Cleveland folks made a similar tape starring LeBron James . Or was it James Foxx !

The NBAEL players wear the colors of NBA teams like the Raptors , Pistons , Lakers and so on. They played every Sundays and holidays in an undisclosed place in LA. Now on its 8th year , NBAEL players include R&B singer Brian Mc Knight , rapper Ice Cube , actors Orlando Jones , Frankie Muniz , Will Farell and many more .

' We recognize that the entertainment industry has a passion for watching NBA basketball , but their passion for playing basketball equals their love in attending NBA games ' said Zane Stoddard , the unofficial commisioner of NBAEL.

NBA players who flop a lot will fit right in .

NBA Playoffs - Day 27

Pistons Get Another Chaunce

Detroit 84 Cavaliers 82

The Pistons escaped with a win last night forcing a 7th game this Sunday . It was a tough game determined only in the last second when LeBron's intentionally missed free throw did not result in a Cavaliers basket. ' I thought it was going in ' said Ben Wallace of the Ilgaskuas follow up. Rasheed Wallace played his best game of the series perhaps to avoid major embarassment from the numerous guarantee and predictions he made of the Pistons' victory. Even after stumbling with a guarantee that the series will be over in game 5 , Rasheed kept his mouth running . Rasheed continued his confidence bordering to arrogance . He must have prayed big last night that team will not stumble again right in front of the hostile Cleveland crowd . Rasheed must feeling like Britney Spears . You see yesterday , Britney almost stumbled with her baby in arms to the full view of the paparazzi. This incident was the latest in Spears saga bringing questions to her parenting skills. After game 6 , Rasheed was unusually quiet . Not totally . ' It's gonna be bananas , yo ' said Wallace . Thats it 'Sheed . .Keep your sprained ankle wrapped tightly , and your mouth wrapped tighter !

The Cavaliers now face an uphill battle for 2 reasons . 1 ) The Cavs will play before Detroit's fans
2 ) the Cleveland is young team with a rookie coach. Remember that the team's leader is a 21 years old on his 1st playoff . In fact last night's game , some fans think that James should have tried for the 3 pt. shot instead of a pass. Scottie Pipen is still a believer . If the voting is held today , James will win the MVP ' he said.

Coach Brown said ' This is what the NBA playoff is all about. We've won there before , we will win again ' . Thats if you coach well . Alot of people think Drew Gooden should have been in the game in the last minute . Remember Gooden made that last basket in game 6 . But more than that , he could had been a huge help in rebounding. The Pistons collared the all important rebounds in the last minutes of the game. ' We lacked the efforts ' said Eric Snow of the missed rebounds. Actually , Eric has been playing very well in this series . Although not scoring big , his defense on ' Mr.Big Shot ' Billups has been super .

I think as long as Snow keeps Chauncey Billups' scoring down , the Cavs winning stands a a good chaunce !




Saint Eva Answers Spurs Prayers

San Antonio 91 Dallas 86

The San Antonio Spurs grind it out to win and extend the series against Dallas to the 7th game. The Spur should be the favorite in game 7 as they will be playing in front of the hometown crowd . They seem to have found their mojo or should it be cojones after 2 straight victories I noticed that the game last night was played to their tempo. Not quite. Bill Walton and Co. said the game last night was grind it out type as the scores seem to indicate. But it is still a fast paced one. Manu was fantastic . He seem to be back to his usual daredevil self . After a lackluster start in the series , Ginobili' play in the last few games were the saving grace of the Spurs . Ii's as if he is saying to his countrymen ' don't cry for me Argentina '. In a country crazy with soccer , a star in another sport is rare. Rarer still that non football stars make big bucks , Ginobli lives in fear of kidnappings back home today. Not like during in the days of Eva Peron , the charismatic Argentine leader , who a lot of Argentians consider a Saint. Saint Eva . San Antonio still have Saint Eva. Saint Eva Longaria.

The Spurs call on her on desperate times like last night !

One thing sure about the game last night , there was a lot of animosity from the crowd against the Spurs particularly Finley . One fan distributed Terry's jerseys to people sitting on the courtside. When the generous fan offered the the jersey to a nice couple , they declined . The 2 are the owners of the Spurs .

As you recall , Terry was suspended for punching Finley' in the crotch in game 6.' I think the crybaby in Tim Duncan wore off on Mike ' complained Dallas owner Mike Cuban. ' I have a lot of respect for Mike. I respect his acting ability a lot more ' he added . Maybe Cuban said this in the heat of the moment . ' Cos if there was any acting done now and in the past , it came from Cuban. He played a character named Macho Mark in a film before he hit it big . Before the game , he was seen playfully greeting Actress Eva Longaria. Mark is definitely showbiz . Bigtime . And the NBA is the stage for him ! Now Macho Mark is leaving that macho thing to Macho Randy ( show here with MC in the photo ).

Macho Mark is now Mucho Mark. Mucho Dinero !

NBA Playoffs - Day 26

Series Extended To 7 Game

LA Clippers 118 Phoenix 106

The 6th game of the series game was as expected . Phoenix played like it wants a game 7 'coz its too tired to win game 6 . The Clippers played their hearts out to extend the series. So, all is set for the big event. Tired legs will be well rested . The whole Clippers Nation spent most of the game standing up . Definitely tired legs for the opposing point guards Sam Cassell and Steve Nash. Sam is 39 years old and Steve is the same if the mileage on his legs are considered. You know how important the PG's role in both teams are but especially in a young team like the Clippers.

Ask the Russian basketball team coach that in the 80's. The year after the USA Basketball team suffered its first loss ever in the
Olympics , a Russian basketball team made a US tour for a series of games against top US collegiate teams. In one of these exhibition games , the Russians went up against the Providence team with guard Ernie Di Gregorio. The Russian team and its coach were so impressed by the 6'0'' point guard that the coach said after the game ' Give me your point guard and I can beat any team in the world '. Ernie D was later drafted in the NBA by Buffalo Braves now the LA Clippers. Of course later on in his short lived NBA career , Ernie D was called Ernie No D . He cannot play decent defense !

In the 6 th game , Quinton Ross was huge . Ross known for his defensive prowess scored a personal scoring high with 16 pts. coming in the 1st half. On the Suns side , Leandro Barbosa was phenomenal. Just 23 years old , he showed real promise . Ross was shooting like Bob McAdoo of the Buffalo Braves nee Clippers . Mc Adoo a prolific scorer in his heydays is now the Assistant coach of Miami Heat . A lot of people cannot believe Mc Adoo was not included in the Top 5o NBA players . I'm sure he does'nt mind. To Mc Adoo' it's mc adoo about nothing '

Ross hardly missed the baskets especially in the 1st half . ' We don't look to him to score. Anything he gives you is excellent and extra ' said Clippers center Kaman of Ross efforts.
You can say that this series brought the supporting cast in the limelight. Aside from Barbosa , there was Raja Bell in game 5. ' Bell was undrafted after college and toiled in other leagues before making the NBA. The Suns is paying him $ 10 million which is a bargain ' said ex San Diego Clipper Bill Walton . Bill , the Master Of Exaggeration , was very complimentary of Bell's strengths you would think he is a superstar . The way Bill praised Bell 's qualities , one would think the Phoenix guard is the second coming of Michael Jordan.

Might as well change Bill Walton's name to Bell Walton !