Tuesday, October 30, 2012

NBA Tip-Off: Lebron Gets His Ring

The 2013 NBA season tips off tonight with Heat v Celtics followed by the Dallas Mavericks on the road to the L.A. Lakers (Side note: the Wizards are also playing the Cavaliers but…).
The Heat will receive their rings tonight in front of the very team they beat in order to make it to the NBA Finals last year. Hooray for King James!  This will also be the first time that Ray Allen, who now wears a Heat jersey, will face his former team since leaving them over in the offseason, despite receiving a more lucrative offer from Boston (I wonder why no one burned his jersey?!). That plot line just adds to the rivalry between these two teams. I will be pulling for Boston…only because I don’t feel like hearing Heat fans mouthsJ
 The Heat/Celtic matchup will be followed by a Dallas Maverick/Lakers showdown, that may or may not actually be a showdown. Both teams have a new look as far as personnel go but the Lakers have the more loaded team AKA the better team. Most NBA fans are approaching this game as if the Lakers are the Harlem Globetrotters and the Mavericks are the team that chases them around for the ball.
The Mavericks basically have gutted their 2011 NBA championship team in favor of players with less expensive and shorter contracts. Not only that but they will be without the face of the franchise, Dirk Nowitki and former All-Star Center Chris Kaman. The Lakers, on the other hand, will star Steve Nash and the NBA’s best big man Dwight Howard alongside superstars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Needless to say, that game may not be of much interest for an opening game but I’m sure the Mavs will keep it close..they may pull off the first upset of the seasonJ (yes, I am a Mavs fan).
Boston at Miami, 7:00PM (CST), TNT
Dallas at L.A.,  9:30PM (CST), TNT

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Did You Know: WNBA Finals Are On?!

Yup that's right!

Minnesota Lynx v. Indiana Fever. Tamika Catchings, Maye Moore.

The series is tied 1-1 in a best-of-five series . Game 2 was an exciting and very physical game. There were hard fouls, technocals and even coaches snatching off jackets in protest of the horrible officiating. Nonetheless, the Lynx were able to pull off the win after losing Game 1 in front of the home crowd.

"We'll get back home. We'll adapt to I-don't-know-what-to-call-it," said the Fever's Lin Dunn, who called it the most physical game she has been a part of in 42 years of coaching.

"I'm not going to call it basketball. Maybe basket-football or something. It was pretty rough out there, and we're going to have to adjust to that."

Indianas Tamika Catchings led the way as usual with 27 points and 8 rebounds. Erlana Larkins, who had 16 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1, was limited to 3 points and 5rebounds.The Fever's defense faded after a dominant start that forced the Lynx to miss 11 of their first 14 shots. They let the Lynx score 29 points in the third quarter and bring an already-loud crowd into the game even more

Maya Moore scored 23 points and the defending champion Lynx forced the Fever into 24 turnovers, 15 after halftime.
Games 3 and 4 will be played in Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday and Sunday. If the Fever win both home games, they will claim Indianapolis' first pro basketball championship since the Pacers won the last of three ABA titles in 1973.
Game 5, if necessary, would be at Minnesota next Wednesday.