Big Diesel, Shaquille O'Neal retires after 19 seasons

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch




Shaquille O'Neal, "Big Diesel", "Big Daddy", "Big Aristotle", "Big Cactus" and most recently the "Big Shamrock." All of these nicknames represent Shaquille O'Neal one of the greatest centers of all time who in his prime could be considered one of the best players of all time. Shaq grew up in New Jersey and in high school and college at LSU he dominated.

Shaq came into the NBA with the Magic and dominated the game like no other center had since maybe Kareem or Wilt. Shaq was being compared to these elite centers, even during his early years. Shaq was so dominant that he averaged 23.4 ppg 13.5 rpg and 3.5 bpg as a rookie on route to a Rookie of the Year Award and becoming the 1st rookie since Michael Jordan in 1985 to be voted into an All Star Game.  As a Magic player Shaq became the dominant force the league would see for years, but wasn't seeing the results as a team that he wanted, including several early playoff loses. However, the Magic did make it to the 1995 NBA Finals losing to Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler's Houston Rockets.

After the 1995-1996 season Shaq joined the 1996 Olympic Basketball Team in Atlanta and was part of Dream Team II and received a gold medal. However, while training for the Olympics, The Orlando Sentinel published an article saying Shaq wasn't worth a huge contract and how there was a big power struggle between himself and then Orlando coach Brian Hill.  Shaq got fed up with the Orlando media and left Orlando leaving averages in 4 seasons in Orlando of 27.1 ppg, 12.4 rpg and 2.7 bpg. Shaq joined the big market Los Angeles Lakers starting a new era for Shaq by signing a 7 yr/$121 million contract.  The first couple of years started out the same where Shaq was dominating but the team results to the Lakers losing to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals for 2 straight years. However, in 1999 Phil Jackson joined the Lakers as a coach the Lakers and Shaq began to win championships. From 2000-2002, the Lakers had a three peat where Shaq was the Finals MVP all 3 times and had the highest scoring average for a center in NBA Finals history. 

After Shaq and Kobe had somewhat of a beef, he left to Miami and teamed up with Dwayne Wade in Miami to win the 2006 NBA Championship. Shaq ended up bouncing around from Miami to Cleveland and to his last team in Boston. Shaq was known as one of the best basketball players but his personality was even better. His cockiness, and his humor was the reason Shaq was a constant media favorite during his playing career. Shaq was known to speak his mind and didn't give a damn what anyone ever thought. 

Shaquille O'Neal's legacy will include individual accolades of an MVP award, Rookie of the Year Award, 15 All-Star game selections, 3 ASG MVP's, 14 All-NBA team selections, and 3 NBA All-Defensive Team Selections. Shaq ranks 5th all time in points scored, and field goald and was 12th in rebounds and 7th in blocks. Shaq will go down as one of the most dominant centers, even though he was ridiculed for his demeanor and his free throw abilities, Shaq was an incredibly opposing force for close to two decades.

Shaq has moved on to TV shows, different promotions, and has even had players compared to himself. Shaq was an important part for the NBA and has provided excellence and entertainment no matter what team he was on. Shaquille O'Neal will be greatly missed and his legacy will always be remembered. Enjoy your retirement big guy. 

UPDATE:  From the Basketball Jones, (one of my favorite blogs/inspiration for me and friends to create this blog) reported that ESPN said that "Shaq's iconic #34 Lakers Jersey will be retired.. Lakers spokesmen John Black said "There is currently no timetable, but you can be assured that Shaq's jersey will be retired." All of the other 7 players with jerseys retired are Hall of Famers and Shaq will soon join them. I haven't heard anything about the Magic retiring his number but they definitely should. Shaq was a big component in the early 1990's to turn around the Orlando franchise and should be welcomed back and have his jersey retired even though he didn't leave on the best of terms.


Seize the day people.

NBA Finals Preview, Dallas vs Miami

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch



The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are back again to do battle in the 2011 NBA Finals, a rematch of the 2006 finals with of course a few new names joining each squad. The only members that remain the same are Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavs, and Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem on the Heat. This was the biggest question for the Heat, before the season whether or not the Big 3 of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh would coexist and most importantly make it to the finals. Well both of those questions are answered with a resounding yes. On the other side the Mavericks are having one of the most improbable playoff runs, while many people including yours truly thought they would lose to the Trail Blazers in the 1st round and also in the 2nd round to the Lakers. The Mavs have continued to exceed expectations and will look to continue to build on their playoff run and retaliate after their '06 loss to Miami.

Keys for the Mavericks to win the series 
Dirk Nowtizki. One word, one player. The Mavs offense runs exclusively through the 7 foot German, and so far no opponent has been able to stop Dirk. Dirk during this playoff run is putting up absurd numbers. In just 15 games, Dirk is averaging 28.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and shooting 52% from the 3 pt line and the field and a ridiculous 93% from the free throw line, having only missed 10 free throws this entire playoff run. Dirk hasn't been able to be stopped no matter who has defended him, causing Lebron to say "Dirk has the 2nd most unstoppable move, with his 1 foot fadeaway after Kareem's skyhook." And I don't expect Dirk to be stopped no matter who they put on him. Most likely Bosh will be on Dirk the most amount of time, but if they don't want Bosh to be in foul trouble Miami should put Joel Anthony on Dirk. Lebron and even Wade will see defensive assignments against Dirk throughout the series in crunch time.  The Dallas bench has been one of the biggest keys throughout the playoff run for Dallas, and will continue to be against Miami. With Dirk likely receiving double and even sometimes triple teams, the Dallas shooters should be ready and will be counted on to take some of the load off of Dirk. JJ Barea will be a matchup problem for Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby, and he has proven this playoff run to be an effective scorer off the bench, who can score in bunches and isn't afraid to take it to the rim. Peja Stojakovic and Jason Terry will be the main shooters who will see many of the looks during the series when on the floor, and when Dirk will get those double teams. Peja has returned to his old Sacramento form and in my opinion was one of the most underrated pickups by any team this year, and is shooting 40% from the 3PT, while Jason Terry, is shooting 46%. Another big key for the Mavs will be their defense which has been very good during this time, and a very underrated defense. The Mavs run more zone defense than other teams, which has been effective. The biggest acquisition for the Mavs this year was Tyson Chandler who will have the task of rebounding and shutting down Chris Bosh. However, the biggest key for the Mavs is how to stop 2 of the top 5 players in the NBA today in James and Wade. The Mavs in the previous regular season matchups against the Heat used the zone and man to man matchups against Wade, usually having Shawn Marion on Lebron, and DeShawn Stevenson on Wade. The Mavs hope that they can duplicate the regular season matchups by causing Wade and Lebron to take deep jump shots, and causing one shot possessions for the Heat.

Keys for the Heat to win the series
The keys for the Heat, every series as of course been the Big 3, as none of them have disappointed during this playoff run. Lebron has been the biggest reason why the Heat are in the finals, constantly hitting big shots against New York, Boston and Chicago, while averaging 26 ppg, 8.8 rpg and shooting 46% from the field and 38% from the 3 pt line. Lebron should look to drive like always and should exploit many matchups that the Mavs throw at him. Wade of course it seems to do his usual acrobatic move every game and has averaged 24 ppg during the run. I believe that both Wade and Lebron will get their shots and should be able to exploit their matchups. The biggest key is for Chris Bosh to build on his Chicago series and give the Heat yet another option. Bosh has averaged 19 ppg during the playoffs but averaged 23 against the Bulls, having some big games especially in Game 3 with 34 points and in the clinching Game 5 with a double double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. What I would like to be more and more used is the pick and roll game with any 2 of these 3 superstars. This I believe would cause switches and of course more favorable matchups for the Heat. The Heat by no means have the bench of the Mavericks, and haven't seemed to find a rotation that has suited their needs during the run. The Heat need to try to counter with their own sharpshooters in Eddie House, and James Jones, who will likely be seeing more minutes. If the Heat are able to drive with Wade and Lebron, trust needs to be placed into Jones and House, when open shots occur. However, it seems that both might be a bit rusty as House only played in one game for the Heat in 2 minutes, and Jones only played one game for the Heat in 25 minutes. Mike Miller still hasn't lived up to expectations of what the Heat had hoped for, and was expected to cause the Big 3 to become the Big 4. However, injuries to both thumbs have limited Mike Miller and the Heat need to have a duplication of Game 4 against the Bulls where Miller only scored only 12 points but 40% from the 3pt line. Who knows maybe Dorrell Wright or Michael Beasley might have been a better option for the Heat instead of Miller? The Heat defense should at times have problems, against the Mavs especially at PG and PF, but their athleticism will be used especially with the Heat having one of the best one on one defenders in Lebron and a solid second in Wade. Hopefully the Heat can figure out their center situation as well. Though Joel Anthony is a good defensive option, I believe when the Heat have stretches of scoring, Big Z will be utilized to space the floor for the Heat.

With this being a 2006 rematch,  it's hard not to look back and think that maybe the Mavs should have won after blowing their 2-0 series lead. I believe that this is the absolutely final chance for the Mavs, and will provide some interesting storylines, with Big 3 vs Dirk, Dirk/Kidd vs Lebron for the quest for their 1st ring and even on a smaller note former teammates in Bibby and Peja facing each other. I believe that the Mavs will look to build on their strong leadership and bench, while the Heat will hope Lebron, Wade and Bosh don't get shut down. With our 2 other correspondents being big Heat fan, I can't help going in the opposite direction knowing this is the Mavs last chance, and with the Heat looking like they will dominate for the next 5 years.

Prediction: Mavs in 7 games
Game 1: Dallas @ Miami, 9:00 PM EST ABC

More coverage of the Finals hopefully will be mentioned in upcoming posts, as well as the crowning of the new NBA champion, and later on a look at what seems to be a very weak 2011 NBA Draft Class in the next month.

Seize the Day People.

Dwight Howard, leaving Orlando?

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch

Dwight Howard. The man child of the NBA.  Dwight Howard can be described in so many words: Beast, Animal, One Man Wrecking Crew, and another word comes into mind, goner? Is Dwight Howard going to leave Orlando? With 2 years ago making it to the Finals against the Lakers, it seemed like Dwight just needed a little bit of help, and it looked like the Magic were going to go over the hump. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Magic management was going in the right direction. Instead this year they traded for Gilbert Arenas, giving up size and length in Rashard Lewis and also reacquiring Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson and getting rid of 2 keys to their bench in Center Marcin Gortat and Guard Mickael Pietrus. Well in both of those trades it didn't seem to work out.  Arenas in this past 1st round loss to Atlanta, averaged 7 ppg and 13 mpg! 13 minutes!! And it doesn't get any better from two of their other go to guys, with Turkoglu and starting PG Jameer Nelson averaging 13ppg in the series and Turkoglu shooting a mediocre 27% from the field. That provided basically nothing for the Magic while Dwight went off and averaged 27 ppg and 16 rpg! In this process even setting some playoff records for the Magic, and going off for 46 and 19 in the last game of the series. The Magic have had a history of this exact scenario. In the early 90's the Magic achieved success in developing skills with then young center Shaquille O'Neal and PG Penny Hardaway providing big playoff runs and a finals run for the Magic. Until the Magic, basically let Shaq go and Penny followed. After mediocre seasons the Magic hit the jackpot in 2004 by getting Dwight Howard with the 1st pick. Once again the process occurred with the Magic achieving early success and now starting to slip. The Magic aren't even considered a top 3 team in the East anymore, and after their performance against Atlanta in the 1st round shouldn't have even been a 4 seed. The Magic are a on/off team who depend on their jump shooting most nights and of course the incredible performances of Dwight Howard. Dwight has improved throughout his career putting up even more ridiculous numbers every season, and becoming a guy who literally can only beat himself, and can't be guarded. I expect Dwight to strongly consider leaving, but don't expect the Magic to be burned this time. Rumors have swirled about the possibility of Dwight being traded to LA for Andrew Bynum or to NJ for Brook Lopez. It seems like either scenario would be good for Dwight and even for the Magic. The cycle looks like it will continue with the Magic letting their superstar center go in order to attempt to build around another one. I really hope Dwight stays, to stop these BIG 3's from occurring around the league, but after Orlando played this past 1st round, a team that literally quit on Dwight, maybe new scenery is a good move for him. 

Seize the Day People. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mArHU1ewSog- Dwight's off-season work with Hakeem Olajuwon and the early stages of Dwight possibly becoming even more of a force.  

Guy Dupuy: The World's Best Dunker??

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch






Guy Dupuy is a young French dunker who has been a You Tube sensation around the basketball world. Dupuy has performed various acrobatic dunks and has proven to  take his dunks to the next level. Dupuy has been outspoken after Blake Griffin's all star car dunk and performed an even better dunk using a car which we expected Blake to do. There is so much creativity from Dupuy that he continues to outperform himself, and hopefully will be in a showdown with Blake for world dunk supremacy. In his latest video Dupuy, who has been with And1 Live Tour goes home to France to jump over many many guys and perform some spectacular dunks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucYsw7xcbo8&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmhEhQWemhY- Car Dunk Vid in Poland

Seize the day people.

White Chocolate, Jason Williams retires

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch







I know it's been a while since we posted, and anyone reading this blog is probably wondering why we haven't even talked about the playoffs. Well, I doubt people are even reading this blog yet, so I'm gonna hold off on the playoffs and with the talk about the Kings relocation talk about one of their best young players in the past. I'm talking about a point guard who was one of the flashiest players in the game, and put "Sacramento on the map" according to Shaq, Jason Williams.  White Chocolate, they called him Jason Williams was a player who made some of the craziest passes and was a highlight machine in the late 90's and early 2000's.

J-Will helped lead Sacramento with some very good players including Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic into the Conference Semi-Finals 4 years in a row, including one year in the Conference Finals. The Kings were an exciting team with Williams leading the break and would make ridiculous plays that didn't even seem humanly possible. Williams was a bit of a problem on and off the court leading to numerous suspensions and violations of team policies. After bouncing around with the Kings and Grizzlies he landed in Miami. With the request from good friend Shaquille O'Neal, Williams was brought into Miami and was a key member of the Heat 2006 Championship team. He came off of the bench and provided 10 ppg off the bench and contributing 21 points in the series clinching game for the Heat.

Jason Williams seems like he always will be remembered for his off the court antics and personality and never for his on court abilities and talent. J-Will is the career leader for the Grizzlies in assists and according to his former Florida coach Billy Donovan was "the closest thing to Pete Maravich." Jason Williams in my opinion was underused for his last team in his career, the Orlando Magic. It seems like he was healthy and still could provide valuable minutes off the bench for the Magic in this year's playoff run. Announcing his retirement, at age 35, Williams retires being one of the flashiest point guards in the 90's and should be remembered for his incredible passes and abilities. Hopefully, this will provide fans a chance to see what Jason Williams once was in these links I have posted below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgoijMXFOmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN1jFhVT4pY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUz18ewZlPo

Seize the day people.

Playoff Preview Western Conference #4 Oklahoma City vs #5 Denver

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch

The Oklahoma City Thunder last year gave the NBA the most exciting series of last year no only in the 1st round but, I would say in the entire playoffs. Thunder crowds were raving and cheering loudly for the 3rd youngest team in the NBA. After nearly scaring Los Angeles in 6 games, the question became can Oklahoma City compete year in and year out at a high level? Well the Thunder have proven that this is true, as the Thunder have improved from 50 wins last year to 55 wins this year, and a division title. On the other side the Denver Nuggets were expected to have a big step back after their big mid-season trade of Carmelo Anthony, but the opposite occurred. The Nuggets acquired several pieces including Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov. After giving up mainly their 2 big names in Melo and Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets have become a more well rounded team, though without a legitimate superstar.

Keys for the Nuggets to win the Series 
The Nuggets with the loss of Melo have become a better offensive team in my opinion. The Nuggets led the league in scoring with 107.5 ppg and have become a team with many more options than a go to guy down the stretch. The Nuggets went from having many isolation sets with Melo to being a team that ran the ball down the court a lot more often. The Nuggets have become a considerably deeper team and can go easily 10 deep in the playoffs. There is no team as deep as the Nuggets, except for maybe the Bulls. The Nuggets have so many solid options its hard to say which player stands out more than the other. For now I would say their go to guy is Nene. Nene has benefited more looks now that Melo has left, and should look to build on this during the playoffs as he matches up against different Thunder big men. Another option that has gotten more looks is Wilson Chandler. Chandler in New York was having a great season averaging 16 ppg and 6 rpg. Chandler provides a good shooter to the Nuggets, and the ability to over match some of his defenders. The biggest key I believe will be the Nuggets depth. They do go 10 deep, and with the Melo trade have become even better than they were before. JR Smith, a great shooter and scorer provides a big spark off the bench and has been the entire year. Raymond Felton who was a starter for the Knicks and was even considered to be a possible All-Star is coming off the bench and will be key in running the offense with starter Ty Lawson. Danilo Gallinari   when he is healthy will provide a great shooter off the bench and will be looked to hit big shots down the stretch in many games.  Chris Andersen provides a big spark off the bench in his energy, defense and rebounding. As for the starters Ty Lawson is becoming a more complete point guard in his 2nd season in the league. Aaron Afflalo who is a bit injured will look to also get shots and be another option for the Nuggets. And Kenyon Martin will look to be the veteran of the team and lead the defensive charge for the Nuggets.

Keys for the Thunder to win the series
The Thunder have benefited from a huge breakout year from Russell Westbrook and along with Kevin Durant will be the main keys for the Thunder. Durant is the leagues scoring champ for the 2nd year in a row. His numbers have slightly been down because of the emergence of Westbrook, but Durant will still be the go to guy for this young Thunder team and will continue to get his shots. Westbrook is a big reason, even bigger than Durant maybe for their improvement this year into one of the top teams in the West. Westbrook has improved in almost any statistical category and is leading the point for this very potent Thunder offense. Westbrook will look to get to the basket and penetrate into the Nuggets defense and will get to the line very often. Both Westbrook and Durant get fouled a lot and get to the free throw line as much as any player in the NBA. Both Westbrook and Durant will capitalize on these opportunities as both shoot 84 and 88% from the Free throw line. Other than that the Thunder have benefited from the mid season trade of Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic for Kendrick Perkins. Kristic didn't fit as a member of the Thunder team and Jeff Green wasn't a prototypical 4 that the Thunder needed, especially after the continuing improvement of Serge Ibaka.  With Perkins the Thunder will able to match up well against any team with a big man and Perkins also provides much needed Finals experience to this young Thunder team. Perkins should see looks but hasn't really clicked with the Thunder during the regular season, because of his injuries and foul trouble due to his aggressive play. The Thunder easily have the best big man rotation off the bench and will look to use it many times in the playoffs. With veterans Nick Collison, and Nazr Mohammed the Thunder will able to use different rotations in the playoffs to create matchup problems. The Thunder also have a very capable young point guard in Eric Maynor who will see minutes and has handled the Thunder offense very well. James Harden seems destined to start eventually, and provides the biggest spark and scoring threat off of the Thunder bench. With Thabo Sefolosha, the Thunder have their best defender and will be used against the opposing teams best defender. Thabo will have an increased role in what looks to be a deep playoff run for the Thunder, and should be the pesky defender he is, just like last year against Kobe Bryant.

Both of these teams are young and are very capable of putting up points in a hurry on the scoreboard. The Thunder is a little more experienced then the Nuggets are and will look to build on last years post season into one of the top teams in the West.

Prediction: Thunder in 6 games
Rating: 4.5/5 (This in my opinion is the most exciting series with both fan bases being very loud, it should be very entertaining. All the games should be competitive and very high scoring)

Game 1:  Sunday April 17, Denver @ Oklahoma City 9:30 PM EST ESPN

Seize the day people.

Playoff Preview Western Conference #2 Los Angeles vs #7 New Orleans

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch

Everyone says that Los Angeles is going to get upset. They said that Memphis shouldn't have given up at the end and could have stole the #7 seed and was going to upset the Lakers. They said the Lakers aren't clicking and should change the rotation and Phil Jackson doesn't know what he's doing and is losing is coaching touch. Last year when the Lakers came into the playoffs losing their last 7 out of 10 games they responded by winning the title. The same thing occurred this year when the Lakers lost 5 out of their last 8 games. This however, isn't true whatsoever. The Lakers can turn it on and off and I believe should have no problem once again having a deep playoff run. The Hornets on the other side are struggling without David West, who tore his ACL and will be out for the playoff run.  This team seems destined to start rebuilding with the NBA's support and I believe Chris Paul and David West should and will leave after the season ends.

Keys for the Hornets to win the series
The Hornets obviously need CP3 to give a crap for one last time as a Hornet and attempt to give them an opportunity to steal a couple of games. CP3 is their #1 option and will look to burn by Derrick Fisher and look to get to the free throw line. The mid-season trade of Marcus Thornton for Carl Landry seemed to be a bit lopsided. I thought that Marco Belinelli was a lot worse than Thornton and of course Thornton proved that he can play by putting up big numbers for Sacramento. However, after the West injury, Carl Landry is capable to handle the post down low but obviously no West, but should look to get looks in the post. The Hornets defense will have to be on point in order to stop the Lakers offense. Trevor Ariza, will look to lock down former teammate Kobe Bryant, and of course Chris Paul will look to get his steals in the playoffs as well. Emeka Okafor should be in the post as well looking for his shots especially to test Andrew Bynum's injury and try to take advantage if he isn't 100%.

Keys for the Lakers to win the series
The Lakers have been the champions for the past 2 years and have the same team and coach that has made everything so successful for them. Phil Jackson will lead the Lakers again and look to win his 12th championship. Of course he is a big reason why the Lakers are the Lakers. Kobe Bryant. There isn't much to say about the Lakers leader. He should have no problem getting his shots and the ball will be in his hands during the big moments of any game during the playoffs. What I want to see is Andrew Bynum get his shots and if he is healthy and contributing then the Lakers are the most dangerous team in the playoffs. Bynum obviously didn't need to get many looks as last year he only averaged around 8 ppg and 8 rpg. A big component of the Lakers is the man who never seems to get any credit. Everyone talks about Pau being Kobe's #2 and providing big shots down the stretch, but I'm talking about this year's 6th man of the year (in my opinion) Lamar Odom. Odom has provided a big spark off the Lakers bench these past 3 years and will do the same again this year. Odom is 6'10 and handles the rock like a point guard. He is a nightmare matchup for any team and especially for the Hornets with their limited size. The bench has improved over the last year with the Lakers adding defensive stud Matt Barnes, and a breakout year for Shannon Brown who has improved his shot a lot and still provides the Lakers highlight reel dunks.

The Lakers should have no problem with the Hornets and will silence the critics once again for saying they had a bad final stretch heading into the playoffs. I expect this series to be CP3's last series as a Hornet. After this series I believe he will look to join a powerhouse to form another dominate duo/trio. The Hornets should be able to grab a game just because of Paul's abilities but nothing more.

Prediction: Lakers in 5 games
Rating: 1.5/5 (This seems like the most boring 1st round series, and looks to be a halfcourt struggle if neither team can get out and run)

Game 1: Sunday April 17 New Orleans @ Los Angeles, 3:30 EST ABC

Seize the day people.

Playoff Preview Western Conference #1 San Antonio vs #8 Memphis

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch

The Memphis Grizzlies have never had much success in the playoffs. People may have forgotten that they did make the playoffs for 3 straight years from 2003-2005.  But after mediocrity and the trade of Pau Gasol, Memphis seemed destined to  keep on sliding for years, but now have some of the best young talent. Mike Conley, OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol make up the starting 5 for this young and talented team. However, after Gay's season ending shoulder injury, the team lost its best offensive option but will attempt to overcome it. On the other side the Spurs have the best record in the West and continue to overcome all the talk that they are too old and past their prime. They have proven that if this is their last run they are going for it and won't let their age slow them down.

Keys for the Grizzlies to win the series 
After losing their #1 option in Rudy Gay, who was having a breakout season, they will go to their #2 option who when he wants to be, unstoppable. Zach Randolph is a walking double double and seems like he is ready to prove himself to the NBA after many stops around the league. Randolph will be a matchup problem for Tim Duncan and will look to make Duncan go into foul trouble. If he does what he's capable of he will help Memphis and be a nightmare for the Spurs. Mike Conley, should look to improve on his season and will facilitate and lead the offense . Conley has improved his passing and his apg has improved this year from 5.3 to 6.5 this year. Marc Gasol should look to go to work in the post with Anthony McDyess guarding him. Gasol should look to help out on the rebounding end and needs to finish in the post. If he gets McDyess into foul trouble expect the Spurs to have an incredibly difficult time handling the Memphis bigs. OJ Mayo needs to actually give a crap like he really hasn't this season. With Gay, gone Mayo needs to step up and hit some big shots and be like the offensive player people expected him to be when he entered the NBA. One of the players who hasn't given a crap this season at all and is expected to be a lock-down defender on Manu is Tony Allen. Even though Allen is "a Celtic who is unfortunately wearing a Grizzlies jersey" doesn't have that mindset anymore with the Grizzlies anymore and should help the Grizzlies defense.

Keys for the Spurs to win the series
The Spurs have 3 veterans who are keys for them and have been for a long time. Tony Parker is still contributing and proving that his divorce earlier in the year had no affect on his game. Parker led the Spurs in scoring with 17.5 ppg and dished out 6.6 apg. Parker I believe will exploit his matchup against young Mike Conley and make him work hard to defend. Even though Manu Ginobili sprained his elbow recently, I don't expect him to be out for long. If anything, I expect Ginobili to be out for Game 1 but should not miss the rest of the series.  Ginobili has hit big shot after big shot and will continue to be in my opinion San Antonio's most dangerous shooter. Of course you can't mention the Spurs without mentioning their go to guy it seems like in all the big situations Tim Duncan. Duncan's stats have been the lowest ever. But it doesn't matter to him as long as they win and it looks like it could be the Spurs season. The Spurs have had a reviving of Richard Jefferson and provide another option if Ginobili isn't healthy. The Spurs have always in my opinion been very good at drafting and picking up steals and once again did it again by signing Gary Neal who was un-drafted! George Hill will look to run the offense when Parker needs rest and along with Neal, is an important part of the Spurs bench. A big part of the Spurs has been 2nd year player DeJuan Blair off the bench who wasn't expected to be much in the NBA but is proving everyone wrong and will be a big spark off the bench when Duncan needs rest and is a rebounding machine with 8 boards off the bench.

The Spurs with a veteran team and a veteran coach should be able to fend off Memphis. However, I believe Memphis will not give up that easy and will finally win a playoff game after being 0-12 in 3 previous series. Memphis will look to use their youth to tire the veteran Spurs team and bring hope and energetic fans to the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Prediction: Spurs in 6 games
Rating: 3.5/5 (Some games will be more exciting than others, but if the Spurs control the ball, should be a slow half court series)

Game 1:  Sunday April 17 Memphis @ San Antonio 1:00 PM EST TNT

Seize the day people.

Playoff Preview Western Conference #3 Dallas vs #6 Portland

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch

It seems Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks will do anything to make his team better and making trades to have the team do well in the playoffs.  With recent trades of Jason Kidd, and Caron Butler both helping out the team considerably. But this year it didn't seem like the big trade was there. However, they did pick up solid pieces in veteran and shooter Peja Stojokovic and much needed youth and solid defending in Corey Brewer. Portland on the other hand never seem likes they make the big move until this year in my opinion when they received the biggest steal of the season in Gerald Wallace, for what didn't seem like much. Portland vs Dallas is a series that provides much intrigue in two teams going in different directions, one in Dallas on the decline and one in Portland with tremendous upside and on the way up.

Keys for the Mavericks to win the series
The Mavericks are on the decline, and despite the best efforts of Cuban, aren't getting younger and he seems to be acquiring pieces that are a little old, with the exceptions to Caron Butler and Corey Brewer.  But with Butler having a season ending injury, unlikely to return for this series it's a big blow for the Mavs to do well. I believe one of the biggest keys for the Mavs is young guard Roddy Beaubois. Roddy last year didn't seem to get any minutes in last year's first round series vs San Antonio and probably should have and could have helped the Mavs out more. Rick Carlisle, I believe is very conservative with his young players with especially Roddy and even Corey Brewer. After Roddy returned from his foot injury I could understand why he limited him, but at one point when he had returned for a while Roddy played less minutes than Jason Terry, Brendan Haywood, Peja, and Brian Cardinal. Roddy's explosiveness, speed and defense will be utilized and should be utilized after some rest and should be 100% after the foot injury. Of course the big key is Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs go as Dirk goes. Dirk has been easily one of the top NBA players that nobody talks about, and always has his shot going it seems. But with the versatility of the Portland defense Dirk will see athletic and pesky defenders against him in Nicolas Batum  and Gerald Wallace. Dallas will need to exploit the size difference on the front line and need to have Tyson Chandler lead the defense and get touches and finish at the offensive end as well. Chandler vs Aldridge is the only slight mismatch for the Mavs and they need to exploit the small front line for the Trail Blazers.

Keys for the Trail Blazers to win the series 
I believe the Trail Blazers is the only team with a 6 seed or lower in the NBA that can make some real noise in the playoffs. The Blazers have so many options but it starts with LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is averaging 21.8 ppg a big improvement from last year, and could be this years Most Improved Player. Aldridge even though plays center will look to overcome the size difference against the Mavs like he has against every other team, for the entire season.  Though, the Portland front-line is a little small they are extremely athletic and have matchup problems for the Mavs throughout their lineup. Gerald Wallace should be able to build on last years playoff success and will be an important 2nd option for the Blazers. The Blazers also have a signing that in the off-season helped them a lot in Wes Matthews. Matthews was another steal that the Blazers had in the off season that proved to be a  great move. Matthews is a great 3 point shooter and will look to be a 3rd option behind Aldridge and Wallace. Batum is the least talked about Blazer but is a very young 22 year old player who has shown his potential this year with his defense and length as well as his shot selection. With this team so deep once go to guy Brandon Roy is their 6th man and if healthy could make the Blazers even scarier. With Rudy Fernandez and also Patty Mills off the bench the Blazers will look to use their rotation and athleticism to hinder the old veteran Mavs.

George Karl said that he would rather face the Mavs than any team in the West. And the Mavs have been called "soft and too old" by many. The Mavs will look to overcome this but I believe they need big series from  Dirk, Roddy and Tyson Chandler and it doesn't seem like it's going to happen especially if Roddy becomes inefficient Carlisle won't likely play him. Carlisle should use his youth against this athletic team but I don't think it will happen often.  The Trail Blazers should exploit many of the matchups and hold on to win the series.

Prediction: Blazers in 6 games
Rating: 4/5 stars (Exciting series, and the games should be close)

Game 1:  Saturday April 16 Portland @ Dallas 9:30 PM EST ESPN

Seize the day people.

Playoff Preview Eastern Conference #2 Miami vs #7 Philadelphia

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch 

The BIG 3 of the Miami Heat are in the playoffs for the first time as a collective group, and are looking to prove that their comments in the beginning of the year of winning multiple championships are true. While on the other side the Philadelphia 76ers, Doug Collins a Coach of the Year candidate helped a 27 win team last year improve to a 41 win team, with solid young talent.

Keys to the Heat winning the series 

To put it simply the BIG 3 is the key. The trio of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade has had its ups and downs this season but has the potential to really control its own destiny with good performances. The Big 3 averages together 70.1 ppg, close to 70% of the teams total points. Lebron James, even after all of the hype of the Decision, has been the Heat's most consistent option and though he gets a little overshadowed by his team due to their talent, I believe should receive more MVP attention. One member who took considerably less money to join the Heat, was expected to be a big member of the team, but had injuries, needs a big series to jump start the rest of the playoffs is Mike Miller. Miller only played in 41 games but should be a valuable member of the team and will be left open in many situations when Lebron, Wade and Bosh get the ball. However, Miller only shot around 30% considerably less than his career average in the final months of the season when he was healthy. It is important for the Heat to give Miller looks and for Miller to contribute and take advantage of the opportunities.  Other than these 4, the Heat don't really look like they have much but do have solid contributers off the bench. James Jones, and Eddie House provides a 3 point assassins off the bench, as well as Mario Chalmers who can start as well over Mike Bibby and who has been hot heading into the playoffs. The Heat offense should take care of things but the defense is very underrated. When the Heat want to try to play defense, Dwayne Wade and Lebron are two lock down defenders who in my opinion don't get the credit they deserve. The defense is the 6th in the NBA allowing 94.6 ppg to the opposition and shouldn't have any trouble with match up problems on defense except maybe in the post with Bosh against Elton Brand. The Heat is a little old on the bench but shouldn't have any problems for right now  and should do well against the young Philadelphia team. 

Keys to the 76ers winning the series

The 76ers this season have played well and turned it around big time since last season due to the help of new Coach Doug Collins, and as well big contributions from Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, and the emergence of young point guard Jrue Holiday. Iguodala has to have a big series but will have a tough time with Dwayne Wade and occasionally Lebron guarding him. Iguodala has been Philly's best defender and Collins has helped instill that mindset into Iggy. Brand I believe, should be Philly's go to guy and should be able to handle Bosh down low and put up big numbers in the series. Jrue Holiday had the biggest improvement on the team and put up bigger numbers in ppg, rpg, assists, 3PT% and FT% just to name a few. Holiday will look to use his speed to blow by Mike Bibby/Mario Chalmers both not great defenders and look to facilitate and control the offense. I expect Brand and Holiday to have big series and lead the team to have a chance against the Heat.  The Philly defense has improved significantly and is the 12th best defense in the league allowing 97.5 ppg to the opposition.   I believe the defense could have been even better if the 76ers had just kept Samuel Dalembert, who's a solid defender and I believe would have provided the team with not only a better defender and a better offensive option than Spencer Hawes.  

The Sixers I believe will be able to take a couple of games against the Heat because of their youth and coaching of Doug Collins, but ultimately I believe Lebron and Wade provide two options that won't be stopped often by the Sixers defenders often. The Heat need to go to their 3 options and not get lazy on defense and offense and take any quarters or halves off. It's the playoffs now and the Heat can't cruise now, and I believe will become the unstoppable force of a team that they can become. 

Prediction: Heat in 6 games

Rating:: 4/5 stars (Will be entertaining with Sixer's youth and of course the BIG 3)

Game 1:  Saturday April 16 Philadelphia @ Miami 3:30 EST ABC 

Seize the day people

Playoff Preview Eastern Conference #4 Orlando vs #5 Atlanta

By: Kumaresh "KB Smalls" Balaji 


Although the second-round bout between the Magic and Hawks last postseason was anything but entertaining, the face-off between them in the first round of this year’s playoffs may provide some intrigue. The Magic’s regular season was derailed by a massive trade, one whose effects still linger as the team continues to struggle with consistency on the court. On the other hand, with coaching changes and a lack of motivation the Hawks have also fell short of expectations and their six-game losing streak is a sure sign of this. However, in a place where slates are scrubbed clean and legends are born, both teams will look to silence the haters and revamp their lost seasons in the playoffs.

Keys to the Magic winning the series

Dwight Howard. Enough said. It’s absolutely essential that the supporting cast gets it down low to Dwight Howard as early and as quickly as possible. Howard, with his enhanced repertoire of moves down low, is now more than capable of making his own shots. By establishing him early, the Hawks will be forced to double-team him to stop the bleeding, and this is how the Magic will become most dangerous. Howard is often overlooked when it comes to his ability to pass the ball out of the low block to wide-open teammates. With so many great looks, the shooter-heavy magic squad can establish a rhythm on offense. Look for players like Ryan Anderson and Jason Richardson to benefit most from this inside-out attack. Even J.J. Redick, perhaps Orlando’s most potent three-point specialist, is expected to return after missing the final 17 games of the regular season with an abdominal strain. However, with the Magic we have often witnessed a tale of two teams. When shots are falling they resemble championship contenders of yesteryear. When things aren’t going so well, the team looks like on the brink of collapse. Therefore it’s absolutely essential for Dwight Howard and Brandon Bass to vacuum up offensive rebounds and keep the overall energy up. Howard is only averaging three offensive rebounds and 43% from the field against the Hawks this season, and he must raise these numbers to help his teammates maintain a flow on both sides of the court.  

Keys to the Hawks winning the series

Although the Hawks have many familiar faces from last year, they seemed to have Orlando’s number in the regular season, beating them in three out of four meetings. The important change this season was the installment of Jason Collins at starting center. Collins has been the defensive bulwark down low for the Hawks this season, and his efforts against Dwight Howard clearly indicate this. Against the sturdy Collins down low, Howard only averages 19.3 points and 43% from the field as opposed to his season’s average of 23 points and 59.3% from the field. The Hawks must use their athletic wings in Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith to quickly apply pressure on the Magic’s three-point shooters. So far, the Hawks have been able to effectively keep the Orlando’s three-point threat at bay. As a team Orlando is averaging only 82.5 points per game, while shooting just 38 percent overall and 22 percent from the 3-point line. Those are all below its season averages of 99.2 points, 46 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point land. Also, Kirk Hinrich must use his pesky defense to negate Jameer Nelson’s dribble penetrations and input passes. On the offensive side, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith must constantly penetrate Orlando’s interior defenders. This allows them to draw defenders and force Dwight Howard to commit costly fouls. When Howard gets taken out of the game to dampen his foul trouble, the Hawks can take advantage and attack the paint relentlessly. Look for Al Horford, who already averages a career-best 16.3 points in the four games against Orlando, to exploit the deflated Magic defense.

Prediction: Magic in 7 games.

Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (I think this will turn out to be more exciting than expected).

Both teams once had dreams of championship banners and glorious parades, but now simply wish to revitalize some hope within their respective organizations. The key for both of these teams is to execute their plans to perfection or risk allowing the opposition to take over the series. The stars must shine and the team that wants it more will turn out victorious.

Game 1:  Saturday April 16 Atlanta @ Orlando 7:00 PM ET

Playoff Preview Eastern Conference #3 Boston vs #6 New York

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch
This is a matchup of two cities that hate each other. Boston vs New York. This isn't the matchup that usually is being talked about between the two cities. But with New York clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2004 and the Celtics being the dominant team in the East, by going to the Finals 2 of the past 3 years. This is a series full of star power and should be a good match up early on if the Celtics want to continue their recent playoff success.

Keys to the Knicks winning the series 
The Knicks organization and fans of course should be excited to be back in the playoffs after 7 years, but they may seem a little depleted for the Knicks to move on to the second round. I'm talking about the big mid-season trade that acquired the "Lake-Ness Monster" (according to the New York Post) Carmelo Anthony. By pairing up Melo with Amare Stoudemire they have a great 1-2 combo, but I do believe that they aren't deep enough to compete with the Celtics. The Knicks gave WAY too much for Melo and could have gotten a better deal during the off-season, but on the other side with a lockout most likely coming this year it was a chance the Knicks had to take if they wanted to have a chance at winning it all this year. They lost 3 starters in Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari  and Raymond Felton all 3  who were having great seasons, a project and possibly future center Timofey Mozgov. Also they lost a player who for the 2nd time wasn't given minutes in situations that he could have and would have thrived in Anthony Randolph, and acquired Corey Brewer who they ended up releasing anyways. That move made no sense, Brewer is a solid defender and would have provided good bench minutes for a team that now has a bench of Anthony Carter, Toney Douglas, Shawne and Shelden Williams and Roger Mason. With this depleted team expect the starters to have BIG minutes and they need to excel. Billups needs to dish out the assists and hit the big shots and live up to his name of Mr. Big Shot. Melo though he considerably slows this team down will need to well against this defense.  I expect Amare to go off like he has this season, being a huge part in leading New York back into the series. The defense for the Knicks gives up the 3rd most ppg to the opposition at 105.7. This team has struggled ever since the Melo trade but needs to step up and will have the support of the LOUD MSG crowd in the playoffs.

Keys to the Celtics winning the series
The Celtics are no stranger to the playoffs but did tend to slip up in the last few months after a similar big mid-season trade of Kendrick Perkins. The Celtics didn't slip up too much and grabbed up the #3 seed but could have grabbed the #2 seed over Miami. But anyways, the trade to Perkins I think will come back to haunt the Celtics but not in this series. Jared Jefferies is no center and shouldn't worry the Celtics, and with KG on Amare the Perkins trade looks like it would hurt the Celtics in a series with a team with legit big men (Bulls, Heat, Lakers,  Magic and Thunder (Perkins new team). The Celtics received Jeff Green and also Nenad Kristic in the Thunder trade. But also in a move that surprised me even more traded away Semih Erden to the Cavs for a 2nd rounder. NO POINT AT ALL, to trade your starter and your backup. But moving on the Celtics will obviously rely on the Big 4* of Rondo, Pierce, Allen and Garnett.  The team like I mentioned were on a bit of a slide in the final months, but especially Rajon Rondo. Rondo was injured for some games but when he came back seemed to come back un-Rondo like, by averaging around 9 assists, which is still great but unlike Rondo, who is capable of much more. Rondo didn't seem to run the offense efficiently as in the beginning of the season but I expect nothing less of him. Garnett is rock solid and still is playing like a top 5 PF at his age and will have the tough task of holding down Amare Stoudemire. Pierce is still consistently hitting shots that I have no idea how he hits and the ALL TIME 3 Point Leader and one of my favorites Ray Allen will still be knocking down threes for this entire run. The defense clearly is WAY better than the Knicks and is ranked 2nd behind the Bulls in ppg to opposition at 91.3.  Though I didn't agree with the Perkins trade, the Celtics mindset is that Jeff Green can help spread the opposition out causing mismatches, which I agree can and probably will happen.

The Knicks being back in the playoffs is great for the NBA. This entire series has incredible star-power on both teams and should be an entertaining series with 2 cities hating each other and with loud and energetic crowds. Though both teams had mid-season trades that affected their teams, I believe that the Celtics will be affected lesser because of their experience. The Knicks should be able to grab a couple of games but I don't think they will able to pull it off, even with Spike Lee's taunts on the MSG sideline.

Prediction: Boston in 6 games
Rating: 4/5 stars

Game 1:  Sunday April 17 7:00 PM EST on TNT

Seize the day, people.

Playoff Preview Eastern Conference #1 Chicago vs #8 Indiana

By: Naman "Tiny" Buch
The playoffs begin on Saturday at 1:00 pm EST with this matchup. And honestly it seems to be one of the really lopsided matchups in the playoffs. Usually a 1 vs 8 matchup is lopsided but in the West I expect Memphis to at least put up a fight against the Spurs, but not in this series.

Keys to the Bulls winning the series
The Bulls have in my opinion the MVP of the league in Derrick Rose. Rose has taken his game to the next level this season after helping lead Team USA in Turkey this past summer. Rose had claimed he wanted to be the MVP this year and was honestly hungrier this year than any other player in the league. The Bulls in this series need to continue to play the NBA's best defense. Under 1st year Head Coach Tom Thibodeau (In my opinion the Coach of the Year in the league) the defense has allowed 91.1 points per game to the opposition and also provide tough matchups on defense for the Pacers. Another key I believe is the bench. Thibodeau has proven this year to trust the bench much of the time as 11 of his rotation averages double digit minutes. At times honestly, this year Thibodeau placed an entirely separate 5 on the court from his bench. Off of his bench Thibodeau has great options including solid defenders Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer, a 3 point specialist in Kyle Korver and also a man who can provide good rebounding and a big body in Omer Asik. The Bulls starting 5 will be nightmare matchups for the Pacers. Rose I believe can easily dominate the smaller Darren Collison. And I expect Carlos Boozer who has came on strong after his early season injuries averaging close to 15 ppg and 9 rpg in the past 2 months. I expect Boozer to manhandle Tyler Hansborough down low on the post.

Keys to The Pacers winning the series
Obviously you can tell that I don't give much of a chance to the Pacers. But Danny Granger may have made it worse, by saying "Boston's a different monster. They don't have the best record in the East but they have won championships. Chicago, they go as Derrick Rose goes.  If you make a concerted effort to stop Rose, then you have a better chance of beating them." Granger may have somewhat of a point but he can't be this idiotic and tell the media about this. I mean this just gives the Bulls more fuel and hatred towards Granger and the Pacers. Well, speaking of Granger he has to do well for the Pacers to even make the series competitive. Granger is easily Indiana's first option and will be heavily guarded by Luol Deng, but he needs to be better in the playoffs. In the last 2 months of the season Granger shot 33% from 3 and shot 38% from the field. Granger averages around 22 shots per game and needs to be selective with his shots for the Pacers to keep the series close. With no real #2 option Roy Hibbert needs to also step up. Early on the season Hibbert was averaging close to 18 ppg and 9 rpg. He has steadily declined to a 12.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg in his 3rd season which honestly including myself expected a breakout year to occur. Granger needs to backup his comments about stopping Rose and the Pacers will need to be a team defense to stop Rose and the Bulls options. The Pacers are 23rd in the league in team defense and that isn't acceptable to stop the Bulls. The Pacers I believe did have a spark in their team when assistant coach Frank Vogel was hired leading them to a 20-18 record. However, Indiana I believe cannot compete with the Bulls this time around as I feel that they will be over matched many times and are too young this year. Granger does need more help than Collison and Hibbert around him for this team to be more successful.

Prediction: Bulls in 4 games.
Series Rating: 2.5 stars (I think the most lopsided matchup in the 1st round)

The Bulls should have no problem beating the Pacers as long as they stick to their game of pesky defense and the leadership of Derrick Rose. The Pacers can make this series somewhat competitive but have only beaten the Bulls once this year, and need Granger and Hibbert to have outstanding and starworthy performances.
More playoff previews will be coming before Saturday.

Game 1:  Saturday April 16 Indiana @ Chicago 1:00 PM EST on ESPN

Seize the Day people.

Welcome Post

Day Old B.E.E.F is a collaborative blog by 3 of the youngest and brightest basketball minds in the country. Naman "Tiny" Buch, Kumaresh "KB Smalls" Balaji and Ganesh "G- Biggy" Balaji are the new BIG 3 to talk nothing but ball and have a good time. Enjoy for now and there is more to come. Seize the day people.