The Emancipation Of Bargnani

The Italian is ! The Italian is here ! Andrea Bargnani arrived a day before the draft and was met with press people so many he felt like he is a soccer star back in Italy rather than in New York where the NBA draft was held. As expected , the half breed Italian , Brian Colangelo , chose him as the no.1 pick in this year's draft , the 1st European to hold that honor. ' Bargnani is the right choice for the marketplace ' said Colangelo . Indeed . Colangelo expects to sell a lot of season tickets to the large Italian community in TO .
I know the Raptors management tried that marketing ploy before by tapping the equally large Chinese community by getting the man mountain Chinese center Menk Bateer . Unfortunately , Bateer in no Yao so after a season of having a Peking Duck , the coaches cut the ' sitting duck '.
So Bargnani should keep that in mind.


I'm a little bothered by what I saw in the press con introducing Andrea Bargnani to Toronto yesterday. He seems like too much in awe of the 2 Italians - one to his left and the other to his right of the table. Bargnani was sometimes like a ' deer caught in a headlight ' . The camera caught him looking at Colangelo in a prolonged manner while the GM was speaking. Make that staring . Same thing , Bargnani looked at, make that stared at his former Treviso boss now Raptors Ass't GM Maurizio Gherardini.( right photo ) . ' He will not be another Tsykavili ' assured Gherardini. ' What Gherardini said was that unlike T , Bargnani benefited from 3 years of pro life . Bargnani is more seasoned than the former Treviso player who was drafted by Denver more for the potential after a short stint with the same Italian team. In other words , the Raptor experience will see ' the emancipation of Nani ' . That better be right .
Otherwise , we Raptors fans will see ' the constipation of Colangelo '.




I need Mariah now !

Hoops Film To Watch

There is always a basketball movie for release every year. There seems to be an unstoppable supply of hoops stories. I do not know of any other sports with so much to offer . And believe me , I've seen a large dose of these movies if not all. Last year , I watched Glory Road and was truly magnitized by it . One reason is that it's a true story and a truly great one at that. The other reason is that the acting was good. I believe Film Critic did a short review of this movie in his blog. What I'm excited about is the movie about Jason Mcelwain ( in photo with Magic Johnson ) . Columbia Pictures has acquired the Jason's life rights. Magic is acting as the executive producer of the movie . By this time , most of USA and Canada are aware of the unbelievable exploits of this autistic boy.

I first saw Jason in ABC News. The day after the news was first seen on TV, the station received a lot of calls to air it again . That's when I caught it. A whirlwind of personal appearances by Jason followed the ABC News feature . In morning shows , sports events and even with Pres. Bush. No , Jason did not endorse the Iraq war but I'm sure this photo was done to bolster Bush lagging popularity then . I thought that's the end of the Jason's TV exposure until he recently appeared in the concluded NBA Finals . Before that , Jason visited the Dallas Mavs practice . He had his photo taken with Mavs owner , Mark Cuban . The same thing with Jason Terry , the Dallas star who missed a last second shot in the final game.

Too bad , Jason's shooting touch did not rub on his namesake.

Otherwise , the Mavs would had been the NBA Champs !

DARN . I got the wrong Jason !

David Hustlehoop

I thought I've seen the last of David Hasselhof with the conclusion of the NBA Playoffs and The Finals. But lo and behold , the TV star well known for 2 TV hit series of the past , is very much alive. He's one of the judges in the new NBC show called America's Got Talent produced by that nasty Brit , Simon Cowell , of the American Idol fame . The show debuted last week to mixed reactions. . Also acting as a judge is the singer Brandy . LA Lakers fans will remember her as Kobe Bryant's high school prom date .

Hasellhop first became famous as the lead star in TV's Knight Rider in the 70's. It's about the modern day version of 'Herbie' only KITT was much sleeker and full of electronic gadgets. Then , Hasellhof resurfaced as the leading man sorrounded by bikini clad beauties in Baywatch.
He made a name in Germany as a big time singer . In an interview , Dallas' Dirk Nowizki , a German native and one of the NBA's free throw leader said he relaxes himself while in the free throw line by thinking of one of Hasellhof's song. Hasellhof tried to hook up with Cowell , a bigtime record procducer in UK , to break into the UK market.

So all those appearances in hoop arenas all over the NBA were not by accident. David was doing promotionals for his upcoming show . An old Simon gimmick performed to perfection by David ' Hustlehoop '.
The thing 'though is that Dirk's free throw shooting was less than perfect in the dying seconds of game 3 against Miami . The Mavs lost that game. Many say that the game 3 loss led Dallas to eventually lose the finals. They blamed Hasellhof . His music sucks !

I will try 'Duran,Duran' next time !

The Raptors , the NHL Awards and the World Cup

The ' Italianization ' of the Toronto Raptors continues with the hiring of Benetton Manager Maurizio Gherardini as the new Raptors Asst. Manager. First to usher the move was the hiring of Brian Colangelo as GM. The projected drafting of Italian native Andrea Bargnani should complete the move . So to those who doubt that Toronto will draft someone else than Andrea , think again . It's finito. Maybe not yet . There is still the hiring of Tony Soprano to give the team its much needed ' enforcer ' !

Last night was NHL Awards Night . Unlike the NBA, the NHL waits until the championships is over before it hands out the individual awards which it does in a formal settings ala ' Oscar ' Nights. Notable among the awardees were MVP San Jose Shark Joe Thorton , not to be confused with Angelina's ex , Billy Bob , and my fav , Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals , as the Rookie Of The Year . The exciting Ovechkin loves the NBA and watches the Wizards whenever he can. No surprise there. His mother was a former member of the Russian women's basketball team. The 6'2'' Alex would have made a good point guard .

The USA's World Cup team failed to make it to the next round with the defeat to the African nation of Ghana . Seeded as no. 5 before the start of the tournament , the performance of the soccer squad was a complete dissapointment . But who cares. The American peeps continue to ignore this ' beautiful game '. If you watch the late night talk shows like I do , the hosts continue make fun of the game. Jimmy Kimmel Live has a nightly feature called World Cup Play Of The Day . It's hilarious . It shows the players doing nothing but pass the ball. No highlights. No ESPN type spectacular plays . Listening to the radio this morning , one American soccer sportswriter said in 2010 , the USA team should concentrate on offensive moves. It's soccer team should be playing to 3-2 score rather than 1-1 draw or 1-0 score.
Looks to me like small ball basketball as the NBA calls it !







Wait , I got to pee . Cover me guys.

NBA Finals : Game 6

Miami Is No. 1 , Riley Back On Top.

Miami 95 Dallas 92

The Miami Heat won over the Dallas Mavericks last night to capture its 1st NBA championship.
After 18 long years , coach Pat Riley added the 5th Larry O'Brien trophy to his collection. ' This is the best championship of all ' said Riley . DWade was the big hero of the game , make that of the series, with his 36 apg making him join the elite group that includes Michael Jordan to whom he was often compared. ' There is only one MJ but hopefully when I'm done playing , I will be remembered too for my accomplishments '. Shaq played 2nd fiddle to DWade but it's OK to the Big Man. Unlike the situation with Kobe and the Lakers. .' I came to Miami because of DWade . He is a great player ' said Shaq.

What's next ? Everybody will celebrate.There will be a parade in downtown Miami and then everyone will go his own separate ways.

1.Dwade will go back to being one of the 50 Most Beautiful People per People mag. Damon Jones ( in Wade's left in photo ) is no. 51 .


2. Coach Pat Riley will be back to guaranteeing championships and inventing new words like ' threepeat '.







3. Shaq will be back to being Super Daddy to his kids from being Superman in the court. Superman with no kryptonite , right Jerry . Jerry suggests Shaq be Santa Claus instead.

4 . Mavs owner, Mark Cuban , will be back to running his Dairy Creme franchise to raise funds for use in paying the latest fine imposed by the NBA.
Mikey Arenson will be back to managing Carnival Cruise lines and growing his $ 6 billion fortune and his beard back.

5. David H. will go back to oblivion or baywatching whichever will kill him first.



6. Enrique and Anna will go back to dating outside American Airline Arena far from the prying eyes of the paparazzis. Try watching water polo next time.



7. As for coach , I'm back to watching the cat watching Tom and Jerry.

NBA Finals : Game 5

Remarkable Wade Propels Miami To Victory

Miami 101 Dallas 100

It's another unbelievable win by the streaking Heat team last night against the determined Mavericks . It was a real humdinger of a ballgame with the outcome not determined until buzzer time . DWade tied the game in the regulation period and made the final shots in the extension. In fact , DWade almost singlehandedly defeated Dallas . It was a remarkable performance by Wade ' said ABC announcer Mike Breem. To which Hubie Brown seconded with ' Yes it was remarkable indeed '. But not the whole Mavericks team think so. ' DWade total free throws were equal to our team's complained Dallas' forward Howard who made a booboo by calling a timeout right after DWade's 1st foul shot. The disparity in number of fouls called between the Mavs and the Heat was the subject of anger by Dallas owner Mark Cuban . ' It was not the untimely timeout that caused us the game ' explained Cuban . Maybe. He cited the phantom foul called Nowitzki vs. the driving DWade that showed the refs bias . ' DWade is the new Michael Jordan ' added ESPN Game Night's Josh Smith. ' The refs favor Wade the same way they treat MJ during the Bull's championship years ' he added.
One can be sure that in game 6 , Miami will be facing a different athmosphere . First from the Mavs. ' We will be in a controlled anger in game 6 at home ' said Jason Terry . The Miami team not only anticipate this from the opposing players . ' We must now be ready for a hostile treatment in Dallas with the hometown crowd ' said Miami coach Pat Riley . Even Shaq said that hostile environment waits for them in Dallas. Why not ? Dallas won the 1st 2 games and now their team is trailing the Heat , 2-3 . The Mavs lost all 3 road games . So near now yet so far . On the other hand , the Heat are readying the parade . ' Can you smell the championship now ' ABC'S Lisa Salters asked DWade. The ' new ' Michael Jordan ' and a 3 year NBA pro answered in affirmative . Miami center Zo Mourning is more sure ' I can not only smell it , but I can see it now '. Wow . I 'm sure Miami's brashness makes the Dallas fans more angry. Imagine the Heat claiming that the NBA championship is in the bag .
Remember Alonzo .Dallas was where the JFK was shot .
Dallas was where JR ( Ewing ) was shot .

Yes . Alonzo the championship is in the bag .

Body bag !

I can see it now. There it is !

NBA Finals : Game 4

Heat Beat Mavs With Use Of That Old Pat Riley Stuff

Miami 98 Dallas 74

The Miami Heat put the heat on the Dallas Mavericks and the Mavs wilted to tie the series at 2 all. The Florida dribblers totally dominated the game defensively , offensively and psychologically . Unbelievable . ' The Heat were 6 mins. from being down 3-0 in this series and now theare tied and they certainly have the upperhand going into game 5 ' one sports commentator said .You can be sure game 5 will be a war .
Dallas' coach Avery Johnson told the press that the Mavs should stop complaining and ' start playing playground type basketball ' . It's funny . NBA coaches normally require their players ' to lose those playground stuff ' when they are in the pros. Johnson wants the Mavs to do it the way it's done at NY Ruckers . The next thing you know the Mavs are playing like they are in A One tour with Jason Terry as Skip To My Lou .
Coach , why not the Harlem Globetrotters ?
With the Mavs as the whipping boys, Nationals !

The Heat bench was credited with the resurgence of the team in the last 2 games. In this game , James Posey was singled out for his fine game. Posey had 13 pts. in previous games combined but had 15 pts. in this game alone . His defensive job on Dirk Nowitzki was excellent.
' The Heat players knocked Dirk around and he folded ' observed ESPN Game Night. Shaq sent him to the floor twice . Haslem , Anderson and Posey took turns limiting Dirk to a dismal shooting percentage.
NBA TV refers to this as the start of real playoff basketball . One sportswriter noted a developing bad blood between the 2 teams.
You can blame Mavs owner , Mark Cuban , for the sudden change in the nature of the playoff. A day before , he appeared in the Late Night Show with David Letterman and said 'I really got involved to outlaw all the handchecking and all the beating up of guys on the perimeter, so now the game's gotten a lot smoother, so you've got superstars like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki who can take the ball to the hoop without all of that old Knicks , that old Pat Riley stuff, where they'd just beat up on people '.

I guess coach Riley told his players to show Cuban samplings of that old Pat Riley stuff.

And that old Pat Riley stuff is still alive in the NBA.

After all , it's playoff time , right Mark !


Give 'em more of that old Riley stuff !

The Finals : Game 3

Riley And Heat Outplay Mavs

Miami 98 Dallas 96

The Miami Heat crowd went out last night rejoicing after a hard fought victory by their team over the tough Dallas Mavericks. What was a lost game for the Heat , that would have put them at 0-3 deficit , became instead the newest chapter in DWade growing legend as one of the basketball greats. He scored a finals career high 42 points , one of only a few to do so . Wade joins Magic , Rick Barry in the elite group of players who registered 40+ plus in the NBA finals . It also enhanced Pat Riley's genius as a coach.
' Coach Riley told us its our season right there ' answered Wade when asked by NBA TV's Fred Carter what turned the game for them . Indeed it was . With 6 mins. and so remaining , the Mavs were leading until Wade imposed his will on the game. ' Wade did everything asked of him and then some ' said Hubie Brown. ' There was this basket when he did a spectacular hangtime to evade a defender ( Dampier ) ' observed Brown . ' There is no question that he was limping out there ' the respected ex coach of the Memphis Grizzlies said . Brown noted that Wade was hurt when Shaq hit Wade's knee as the Big Man fell to the floor.

Coach Riley must continue to come up with more timely pleas to his players if Miami is to win the NBA championship. He must continue to come up with more stuff like the card each Heat players received from him and which he showed the TV viewers last night. What about the covered basin inside the Heat's locker room. Really intrigiung but masterful mind game .
Riley , the motivational expert , must read his books one of which , The Winner Within , to acquire more quotes for use in the coming games. But one guy has a different idea. ESPN Game Night Host , Josh Smith , suggested that ' Riley must draped his arms all over DWade tonite for his help in continuing his status as a coaching genius .'

And as a highly paid motivational speaker

And a best selling Author

And a 1st class bullshit Artist !

I must come up with a new gimmick .

The Finals : Game 2

Mavs Win War Vs. Heat

Dallas 99 Miami 85

The Mavs repeated their mastery of the hapless Heat to lead the series , 2-0 . It's a game punctuated by many ' first ' on both sides. It was the 1st time that a team registered 2 four point plays . Dallas ' Jerry Stackhouse and Josh Howard did it . On the other hand , Shaq was limited to a playoff low of 5 points. It was frustrating for the Big Man . Shaq was limited to a few touches by Dallas double team and continued to struggle in the foul shot line forcing Pat Riley to bench him . ' It was crazy seeing Shaq sitting down with no foul trouble ' said DWade. Especially that Shaq told people that he will play a better game in game 2. ' I would make sure that I will get more touches ' said the Diesel. He sure got a lot of touches. Touches from Diop and Dampier and whoever was assigned to double team him last night. ' Shaq got many touches in game 1 , 30 . He just kicked these back ' said a proud Dampier. Translation : He and Diop played good ' d ' on Shaq that he was not even able to make attempts to the basket. ' When the score was 18-16 , we played up tempo to distance ourselves from the Heat ' added J. Stackhouse . Translation : The Mavs can turn it on when they want to . These Mavs are a confident bunch. ' From a team that won 18 games , we are now playing in the world finals ' added Stackhouse. Andres Nacioni of the Chicago Bulls will dispute that. ' Why do they call the NBA champions , the world champions ' asked Nacioni who is a member of the Argentina team who won the last World Basketball Championship ( photo )
As far as I can remember , the NBA has always claimed that distinction. Maybe Andres is right. American basketball is no longer the no. 1 power in basketball. I'm sure the Americans will say ' We are no longer the no.1 power in basketball, but we are the only superpower in the world .' Amen.

The Miami players were suddenly lacking confidence. ' I heard Riley telling the Heat players to shoot , shoot ' said Fred Carter sitting behind Miami bench while covering the game for ESPN radio. Telling ' Toine to shoot is like telling John Dillinger to rob a bank or Donald Trump to fire someone . Not only are the Mavs confident , even the Dallas' papers are. One wrote that Shaq was reduced to a mere mortal by Dallas. Another said that the Heat is an unworthy opponent. Such belief in their own team was new. Before , the team was only an afterthought . ' The city of Dallas has totally accepted this basketball team now ' said the Mavs radio play by play man . Remember that Dallas is a football town . The Mavs worked hard. When asked how long he stayed on the gym last night , ' Up to 10 oclock ' Stackhouse responded. He said Dirk was still in the gym that night. . It's no wonder that the 2 played very well in game 2 . That's what caused the turnaround . Most fans like a hardworker but they all love a winner ! Aha . There's a way to win the hearts of Islamic hardliners who planned to take over the Parliament and behead Prime Minister Harper . You know that the 17 would be terrorists arrested in Canada recently are NBA followers. They reportedly were asking who is winning the NBA playoffs. The Raptors need only to start winning and Canada will rid itself of the threat of terrrorism.
The only problem is that fhe Raptors winninng in the NBA is harder than winning the war on terror !




Let them try !

The Finals : Game 1

Dallas Flips Heat , Lead Series 1-0

Dallas 90 Miami 80

The Mavericks were more than ready for last night's game as they took the early lead by beating the Heat . Actually , Miami came out firing leading by as much as 11 points in the 1st quarter. The big guns of the Heat cooled off and Dallas, starring Jason Terry , took the lead going to the 2nd half. The Mavs was able to adjust to the Heat offense by playing zone . Their offense was equally flexible . ' Coach Avery Johnson prepared us for this for 1 1/2 years ' said the baller they called the JET . Terry scored 20 pts. in the 1st quarter alone .He carried the load for the Mavs as Dirk was handcuffed by Udonis Haslem for most of the game. That's the beauty of the new and improved Dallas . ' They can play big , small , and fast ball ' said Hubie Brown. Coach Johnson does not rely on 1 or 2 men alone . Dallas has got the deepest bench in the NBA. On defense , Coach Johnson put different men to guard DWade and Shaq . The Big Fella was guarded by Diop

The NBA Finals And The Stanley Cup

With the NBA Finals starting in 2 day's time, excitement is building up . Especially with the good news about how well the NBA is doing based on TV ratings. . That is in US though. For basketball fanatics living in hockey mad Canada , the news about the coming NBA Finals is mild. Not exactly a non event but coming at about the same time as the Stanley Cup and the World Cup , the NBA Finals is not exactly must see TV . Recently , a TV sports show asked its viewers what they will watch this month of June a) the Stanley Cup b) the World Cup c) the NBA Finals d) MLB -Blu Jays .The NBA Finals came in a distant 3rd. A little better than baseball which is only at its regular season. Hockey was way ahead at no.1 . It was not always like that. When Vince was still half man - half amazing, the TV ratings for the Raptors games in Canada were sky high .Especially the 2nd round match between the Raptors and the Sixers. VC vs. AI as shown in the photo. Sometimes, the ratings surpassed hockey. Attendance at ACC was great.' Basketball will overtake hockey as the no.1 sports in Canada in a few years time ' bragged Paul Jones of the Raptors radio team.

Then VC became half man period . The decline of Raptors basketball began. I say Raptors basketball because basketball as a sports in Canada is continually growing according to the latest survey . The growth is in the age bracket that the advertisers target. The gap between hockey and basketball is narrowing said the same survey. As for basketball overtaking hockey like Jonsie predicted , I doubt it will happen. The only that will happen is 1) if Canada become a 3rd world country . Those gaddam' hockey equiptments are costly . 2) or Al Gore's prediction as depicted in his film An Inconvenient Truth, holds true. You cannot swim and play hockey at the same time !

On the contrary , hockey south of the border in a state of funk. The 1st game of the Stanley Cup this year was a non event to many Americans. ' The Stanley Cup was behind women softball last night ' said Michael Wilbon of Pardon The Interruption last Tuesday. ' It should not be happening to the so called 4th major sports in N. America ' added Wilbon . He is not alone in this observation. Even host/ comedian , Jimmy Kimmel , last night said the same thing. His show conducted a street interview involving 2 men and asked them what teams are playing in this year's Stanley Cup. The 1st interviewee said the New York Rangers while the other guy was totally clueless.The sportswriters in Canada recognized the problem that the new NHL faces especially in US.. ' The NHL should promote their stars like Sidney Crosby the way the NBA promotes Lebron James , DWade , Kobe and before them, MJ ' said a writer from Hockey News on the sports sho, The Grille Room. Easier said than done. The new NHL was dropped by ESPN. The games are now carried by OLN . ' Its very hard to find OLN among hundreds of channels ' complained one other writer . He's right. What is OLN by the way ? Only Losers Network !

NBA Playoffs - Day 40

Dallas Flying As A Bird To Victory

Dallas 102 Phoenix 93

The Dallas Mavericks finally made it the top of the Western Conference by beating the tough Phoenix Suns. Dallas won their series 4-2 , and will meet fellow first timer to the NBA finals Miami. As usual , game 6 was another test for the new Dallas . They went down by as much as 18 points in the 1st half but rallied through the shooting of Jerry Stackhouse and Dirk Nowitzki. Jerry S. kept the Mavs in the fight from the start. The former 76ers and ex member of the Pistons has shown great maturity . ' Jerry and Darell Armstrong are the experienced leaders of the Mavs ' said basketball Analyst Steve Kerr . Armstrong is the former long time Magic and now the reserve guard of the Mavs. Armstong was the one you always see standing like the coach. He is what you might call a team's greeter . You know the first one to give high five or whatever to the player(s) coming back from the game to the bench . All NBA teams have one in their roster . There's Ronnie Turiaf of the Lakers who's as enthusiastic as a diehard movie fan seeing his idol live for the first time . Most of these are not as livewire as Turiaf. They just show their support for great shots by teammates or lead the crowd in cheering or towel waving .Most especially as I have said , they greet the players coming back to the bench. Like those senior people you see doing it at your local WalMart . Not the young WalMart greeter shown here (must be an adult to click) . Yeh like those ' Welcome To Walmart ' seniors standing where the carts are stocked. Sometimes , they will even put a happy face sticker on young children.
The NBA should give an award to the best of them . Like the NBA gives the Sixth Man Award for the first player off the bench who contributes the most to the team.
The NBA can call it the Sixteeth Man Award.
One can be in his 60's and still do it.



' The 2nd half of this game was like game 5 . ' said basketball Analyst Doug Collins. Indeed it was . Nowitski let go of his offensive power that the Suns was not able to match . Well . until the last 4 minutes of the game.Phoenix with Steve Nash at the helm battled the Mavs until they incurred error after error. ' It was uncharacteristic of Steve and the Suns to have made so many turnovers in such a short time ' said Arizona schooled Steve Kerr. Maybe the law of averages finally caught up with Phoenix. What about reality ! Yeh reality. You see , Phoenix was not expected to go this far . ' They were expected to be at .500 after mid season in time for Amare's return ' added Kerr. So you see , Steve Nash and the Suns exceeded expectations. Definitely Steve Nash . He used to be known as a ' falterer ' . Someone who , towards the end of the regular season, is supposed to breakdown physically. What brought about this welcome change to Steve . Well if rumours are true , it was Nellie. But coach Nellie is retired and he spent most of his time a in paradise called Maui. Besides , Nellie is still connected with Dallas. No , it's not Nellie, as the former Dallas coach is called . It's Nelly the singer.
According to the TV show , Entertaintment Tonight , Steve Nash and Nellie are an item.
The Nellie referred to be close to Steve Nash is none other than fellow Canadian and singer Nelly Furtado !





My new CD is titled Maneater !

NBA Playoffs - Day 39

White Boy Takes White Hot Heat To Title

Miami 95 Detroit 78

The Miami Heat got the last obstacle out of the way for the Eastern Conference title and their first NBA finals ever. The Heat did it in a grand fashion by demolishing the Detroit Pistons . This victory was made especially sweet because of the ' below average ' contribution by the sick DWade . ' It was the Shag-JWill combination this time ' said Hubie Brown. They shot a phenomenal 22/26 combined . JWill was 10 for 10 until he incurred his 1st miss on a solo layup ! Unbelievable . ' I told him to take Billups to the basket . Have him play defense ' said Payton to Williams . That explained Williams extra aggsesiveness early in the game. In their series , Mr. Big Shot was having a field day taking Williams to the basket . ' That basket was there all the time ' basketball experts unanimously say. JWill reversed the tables on Billups in last night's game decreasing the Detroit's guard offensive effectiveness. Billups spent most of his energy guarding Williams .
Williams had to do it to take the burden off Shaq and Wade . But most especially ,Williams had to do it take the burden off his ears from the motormouth Payton .
Williams can endure Billups .
But not Payton's constant blabbering !


Before the game , the Heat fans were worried that it was deja vu of last year's events. You know , the Heat losing game 6 with Wade injured forcing game 7 which the Pistons won at Detroit. Dwade wants nothing of that . ' Back in the locker room after losing last year, I cannot forget the look in my teammates' faces .' recalled the prodigious Heat player . This time , the Heat ' slugs ' did not wilt under pressure . Haslem , Walker , and Posey. But most of all as I've said , the man they call JWill . Known also as the ' White Chocolate ' or ' White Boy ' and formerly called Jason Williams. ' I got to change my name , man . There are too many Jayson Williams in the NBA ' JWill said then. ' Then ' was when there was Jayson Williams playing for the Nets who later on was charged with manslaughter for killing a limo driver . Then there was Duke's outstanding guard , Jayson Williams , ready to enter the NBA. This Williams was to suffer serious injuries due to a motorcyle accident a year after playing for the Bulls. He is attempting a comeback next season maybe for the Raptors.
I think , JWill was right in changing his name from just plain Jason Williams. All other Williams suffered horrific fates . JWill must avoid name associated with bad luck . It's bad karma. JWilll must get positive vibes to continue winning . So now , JWill might have to change his name again .
From JWill to JWillWin .


How 'bout JWillchair ?

NBA Playoffs - Day 38

' Killer ' Dallas Kills Phoenix

Dallas 102 Phoenix 91

Dirk Nowitzki played like a man possesed last night to lead Dallas past Phoenix and lead their series 3-2. Nowitzki scored a playoff high 50 pts. to redeem himself from a dismal performance last Tuesday. He surpassed his measly output of the game last Tuesday in the 1st quarter of tonight's match. At the first 3 quarters and a half , the game was a see saw battle. ' It was like a game of H-O-R-S-E . One team scores and the other scores back ' said an amused Doug Collins . And the game was very intense . The crowd was into it . ' The tempo of the game favored Phoenix ' said Charles Barkley at halftime. This view was shared by NBA TV's Gail Goodrich and Fred Carter . They forgot that Dallas can play small ball too. Especially this ' intense ' Dallas team .
' When we were down by 7 points , I thought the game was slipping and with it, all our efforts of the regular season ' said Dirk Nowitzki to explain the turnaround in Dallas performance. His team tied the game and slowly pulled away from Suns. The Mavs have finally exhibited the ' killer instinct ' the whole Dallas is asking for. I don't know what exactly Dallas fans want their team to do . Kill every opponent , I guess. No , this being Texas , chainsaw them to death is more like it.

What could have brought about this change in performance ? . Coach Avery Johnson was asked this question by the reporters and he provided the usual spiel about playing hard etc. etc. Although he added ' there are some things discussed behind close doors ' . Hmmm. Knowing the fiery coach I'm sure, he did not mince any words . The Dallas coach calls his style ' in your face ' coaching . A sample of Coach J.''s ' in your face coaching ' was on full display in last night's game. The Mavs' Jason Terry incurred a technical foul vs. Steve Nash in the 4th quarter. It was a stupid foul by Terry at a time that the team was starting to create some distance from the Suns. Coach J, let Terry know this in full view of the crowd and the camera. Afterwards , Terry was pulled out and in came Harris. This type of coaching one will find in college ball. Like that of coach Bobby Knight of Indiana before now of Texas Tech. You know like the time coach J. pulled Griffin by the jersey to put him in the game last time. Very Bobby Knight. It's OK I guess as long as you will not lose your players like Walmart starting to lose its customers. Othewise , you will join Knight in exile .

No not in Texas .

You are already in Texas .

In Siberia.



Gaddamit !