Much like last year when the Dallas Mavericks had the best record in basketball and lost, the Boston Celtics are earily following down the same path.  With the Atlanta Hawks winning the two games in Atlanta it now makes this a best of 3 series and the Hawks have a legit shot at winning.  Teams like Boston and Los Angeles, that won the conference regular season, need to steamroll first round opponents and not waste any energy.  Los Angeles did their part by sweeping Denver, but Boston is struggling with the lowly Hawks.

Atlanta was not a .500 team but got much better when the dealt for Mike Bibby.  In this series, Bibby is decent but the real stars are Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.  Both players have stepped up their games and causing problems for the Celtics.  I’ve been very impressed with the play of Smith especially who is a matchup nightmare for most teams.  He’s a more athletic version of Andrei Kirilenko and the guy can defend nearly every position. 

Last night, the Celtics were obviously rattled and couldn’t quite keep their composure when they needed it.  Joe Johnson proved to be too much and nobody on the Celtics could stop him.  Johnson used to be a Celtic and he might be trying to show them they shouldn’t have given him up.

In the other series, I am so sick of the Wizards crying about Lebron James.  They are playing him physically and he’s answering the call.  Deshawn Stevenson is a scrub and honestly couldn’t average 15 a game in another country.  To even try to taunt and get at Lebron is ridiculous and reaks of jealousy. 

The Jazz will have to play well to beat Houston tonight.  The Suns are doomed to lose in San Antonio the next game and the Hornets need to reclaim homecourt.  I love the playoffs.

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National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough has decided to stay at North Carolina and enjoy a 4th season with the Tarheels.  Hansbrough’s decision comes as a bit of a shock to those who look at basketball from the outside, but those inside the program and University figured it would take place.  Hansbrough is regarded as an incredible college player whose size and athleticism might not play so well on the pro stage.  Think of JJ Redick but an inside player. 

Hansbrough has done everything he can short of winning a national title.  He is going to come back and give it a 4th shot at a title and hopefully set the Tarheel record for points and rebounds.  I’m glad I get to see him play more because he’s a great example for young players on how to play the game.  He hustles every play, rebounds, finishes around the basket and has really worked on his jump shot.  He does all this while knowing that the opposing team is doing all they can to stop him.  While he isn’t as athletic as some pro scouts would like, he’s much more talented than Mark Madsen ever was and will be a pro.  I can’t knock his choice at all and I won’t.

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Lebron James is a good player.  He’s a great player and will go down as one of the best 5 players to ever play basketball if he remains healthy.  He can carry a team on his shoulders and elevates the play of all those around him. 

The latest case in point is his current run against the Wizards.  Last night, Lebron made them look ridiculous and missed a triple double by one rebound.  He was all over the court and his guys were hitting shots.  It was great to see Wally Z hitting shots again and being a threat for Cleveland.  Ben Wallace fills the banger void that the team had and Big Z is consistently one of the best centers in the game. 

What I’m saying is that this team can and will challenge Boston in the playoffs.  I wouldn’t want to play them in this scenario because of what Lebron can do for his team.  In a serious where will and heart plays a large role, I don’t know of anyone who has a bigger heart.  Besides, who on Boston has Finals experience?  None of the Big 3, but Lebron has it after last year. 

The Cavs have obvious weaknesses and when they aren’t shooting well from outside they are a very subpar team but when they are clicking they are very good and hopefully nobody in the east is sleeping on Lebron and the Cavs.

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Lakers vs Nuggets-  This one is going to be very interesting.  The Lakers won’t sweep the Nuggets away and the Nuggets have the fire power to make it tough.  Any team that has Carmelo and AI can do some damage.  Outside of those two is where this team struggles.  They have Camby inside and Kenyon Martin and they are decent and all but this team needs help on defense.  I see the Lakers in 6 games with most of the games being in the high 110’s and 120’s.  Denver wants to run run run and put up some shots but the Lakers are #1 in the West for a reason.

Hornets vs Mavs-  This series looks to be very tough for the Hornets who missed the top seed by a couple games.  But is there an easy series in the West?  I think the Hornets are going to be in for playoff shock and are in for more of a fight than they think.  Dallas is out to prove that last year was a fluke and have had many close calls.  Nowitzki is finally healthy again and the team is playing well and coming off a win against New Orleans last night.  The Mavs will have to stop Chris Paul and David West and not let Peja go off.  If Peja is hitting and the Hornets cruise at home then this one is over.  I see it going the full 7 with the Hornets winning at home.

Jazz vs Rockets-  The Jazz and Rockets are obligated to play every year in the playoffs and Tracy McGrady is obligated to exit in the first round.  This one won’t be any different.  The Jazz play well against Houston typically and with Yao Ming out that won’t change.  I expect this one to go 6 games with the Jazz winning an early road game and closing it out at home.  Williams and Boozer will be too much for Houston who are playing without Ming and Rafer Alston (2 games with injury)

Phoenix vs San Antonio- This is a first round contest and it truly isn’t fair.  These teams played a crazy series last year that could’ve gone either way.  This will be no different.  We will see the best of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu and Phoenix is anxious to see how Shaq will do in the playoffs.  It is interesting that the Suns got Shaq for the Spurs and they play early on.  Nash and Stoudemire will have to play well in the half court and O’Neal needs to show some youth.  Sorry Suns but the Spurs win out in 6 games.

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Keno Davis, son of former Iowa head coach Tom Davis, left Drake today to accept a 7 year 7 million dollar contract to coach the Providence Friars.  Why am I blogging on this?

In high school I played against Keno Davis or at least the short time he was on the court.  He wasn’t a great basketball player at all and rarely played.  When he was in the game I scored and my team scored a lot.  Am I jealous that he’s making a mill a year plus all kinds of perks for getting this job?  YES.  Of course I am.  In my mind I keep saying, “Keno Davis could barely walk and chew gum at the same time.  He got mocked by all the opposing fans because he was Tom Davis’ son and he was horrible at basketball. ”  I have issues.

However, Keno can coach but he has his work cut out for him.  He is going into the toughest conference in the country and taking over a senior laden program.  He’ll have to recruit fast but win today.  If he stayed at Drake he could coach there for the next 25-30 years and be a legend like his father is in the state.  By going to Providence he is going to have to work some magic if he is even to stay for the 7 years of his contract.  I’m not saying that he can’t coach because he can but the Big East is no Missouri Valley and the man is very brave to make this move. 

Keno wasn’t just taught by his father but by Bruce Pearl as well.  Keno was an assistant at Southern Indiana while Pearl was there and as much as I dislike Pearl for what he tried to do to Illinois, I respect him greatly as a basketball coach.

Do I think Keno Davis will make it as a coach at Providence?  No, but he will make it as a coach in collegiate basketball somewhere else.  This is his first real experience at a big time university in a big time conference and he’s going to have a tough tough time recruiting against the big boys. 

 I hope he makes it because he took a lot of grief as a high school kid being Tom Davis son.  Maybe if he makes it Tom Davis will be known as Keno’s dad.  That’d be nice.

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I deserve an MVP ballot and they need to take a vote from someone else away from them.  This is something that I would take very serious and not just vote for someone who has had the best career but the best year for the best team.

To me this is a two person race between….wait for it….Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul.  Lebron James is a great player who saves his team but I’m not a fan of an MVP coming from a marginal team and that’s what the Cavs are right now.  If the Cavs were a top 2 or 3 team from the EAst it would be easier to vote for him and honestly I would vote for him but the Cavs aren’t that great and they aren’t in the best conference.  It is hard to discount his scoring average, league leading triple doubles and his team falling on their face without him but I still will.

That’s why this race comes down to Paul and Bryant.  Who is having the better year?  That’s a great debatable question.  Kobe has put the Lakers on his back and really showed some honest leadership for the first time in his career.  Look back at younger Kobe and you can really see how far he has come.  He is making all the players around him better and willing to pass the ball to teammates trusting them and it has taken the Lakers to, in my opinion, the favorites of the West.  Does anyone want to play them in the playoffs?  They’ll have Gasol, Bryant and Odom all ready to go and Bynum may be back by the 2nd round.  In their game last night Bryant scored 20 points in 32 minutes but got off as many shots as Gasol and Odom each.  You have to like that.  Lamar Odom finally gets to be the piece that teams can forget about and that is where he thrives.  I love what Kobe has done this year and I’m very impressed with his growth as a leader and a player.  He has increased in nearly every category statistically except scoring average and his team is at the top of the conference after beating New Orleans and the Spurs. 

Chris Paul has to be the other top candidate.  He’s passed Steve Nash after dominating him this season and has led this team to heights that nobody thought they’d hit.  I did predict early on that they’d be a great team if you’ll look back to the start of the season, but I wouldn’t have figured they’d be a top 3 team in the conference.  This isn’t an easy task either because this is the toughest western conference I’ve ever seen from top to bottom and Paul is the reason for the Hornets success.

Anyone else confuse the Bobcats and Hornets anymore?  I still do but that’s a different story.

Paul is scoring 21 points a game, 12 assists, 2.75 steals and has a assist/turnover ratio of 4.6 to 1.  That’s nice.  He has made an all star out of David West and Tyson Chandler’s athleticism is really coming out now after being teamed with Paul.  The tandem of Paul and Chandler lead the league in alley oops by nearly a 2-1 ratio over the next closest pair.  People have said that Paul couldn’t shoot yet he’s hitting 37% of his threes and 85% of his foul shots.  He can’t be guarded one on one and is an amazing finisher for someone his size.  He is making a player out of Peja again and if this team continues to gel and some of the younger guys develop as projected this team is a true center away from killing people. 

But this year isn’t Paul’s best season he will have but it is Kobe’s best year he has had yet.  Kobe Bryant deserves the MVP is a close race over Chris Paul.  In the end, Kobe has had the best year, the most growth and is the best player on the best team in the best conference.

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This could be the dumbest sports story of the entire month.  The Kansas coach wins a national title and then he is supposed to leave one of the top 3 jobs in the country for his alma mater in a not so good situation.  Give me a break here. 

Self was never going to go anywhere because he has reached his pinnacle and the pinnacle of college coaching.  He is exactly where he wants to be in regards to fan following, ability to recruit, administration and his school is a basketball school despite their recent football success.  Bill Self was never going to leave Kansas for Oklahoma St no matter what money was paid him.  As it is right now, Self is set to make millions and millions of dollars at Kansas and they have players in the system to make a run year after year.  Why would he risk that for a rebuild at Oklahoma ST?  Does he have to prove he can coach again?  Why start at the bottom when you can enjoy the ride on top?

I heard some arguments this week that Self is confident enough to turn every program around and that’s true.  I believe that Bill Self could go to Kentucky Wesleyan and make them good and respectable.  However, the point of doing that is to get that team to where Kansas already is.  Does that make sense?  When I play playstation football I always get Illinois to the national title game and then I get offered all kinds of jobs but I’m not taking them because I don’t want to start at the bottom again and build it up because I know how much of a pain it is. 

What I’m saying is Bill Self doesn’t need to start over at any school and that it never should’ve even been a story.  Bill Self will coach Kansas for as long as he wants.

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Most people would say that this is a no brainer for Chris Paul.  After all, he is being mentioned for MVP this year and deservedly so.  In his games against Steve Nash he has destroyed him and played some of his best basketball.  The Hornets also consistently beat the Suns at their own game of run and gun.

Deron Williams on the other hand is quietly having another amazing season in Utah.  He isn’t as flashy as Paul but he is perfect for the Jazz system and is a true team leader. 

If you look at the numbers Paul has the clear edge averaging 21 points, 11 assists and 2.7 steals a game.  Williams averages 19 points, 10.5 assists and 1 steal a game.  The Hornets even have a better record than the Jazz do and nobody is talking about Williams for MVP and honestly shouldn’t be.

Do I have an argument here?  Of course I do.  These two players will always be tied together because of the draft that they were taken in and where they were taken.  The Jazz traded up to get the 3rd pick that year and chose Williams over Paul siting the fact that Williams was more traditional and would fit their system better.  Paul went on to win rookie of the year but regressed last season.  Meanwhile, Williams led the Jazz to the conference finals where they lost to the Spurs.  Here’s my point:

Paul can’t beat Williams.  He’s struggled against him all the way back to college.  If you’ll remember 2004, Wake Forest was ranked 1st in the country and went to Illinois to play in Champaign when Illinois was ranked 4th.  Illinois destroyed Wake Forest that night and remained #1 the rest of the year until the title game where they lost to Carolina.  Williams became a lottery pick that game while Paul had always been considered one. 

When they got to the pros it has been very one sided in favor of Williams.  This season the Jazz are 3-1 against the Hornets with Williams going for 17 and 11 against Paul.  Last season was 3-0 against Paul and the Hornets.  When Paul plays against Utah his average drops to 12 points and 9 assists and shoots 30% against them.  Coincidence?  We have a large enough sample of data to show that head to head Williams and the Jazz come out on top more often than not. 

Chris Paul is having the better season and he’s deserving of the MVP talk, but Deron Williams owns him.

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Up by 9 with 2 minutes and chage left I still had a feeling.  I even commented, based on the fact that I’m a Cub fan, that Kansas would make a run on them and they did.  I was cheering for Memphis because I had my company bracket riding on it.  I’ve joked that CDR (Chris Douglas-Roberts) is going to get a bill from me for 350 bucks for what he cost me because he can’t hit a foul shot when it counts. 

Is that fair to say?  I’m criticizing a player whose play got his team there.  In the end all he had to do was hit his foul shots and my wife is a happy woman.  Instead my wife was crushed because of the new shoes she can’t buy now and I’m in the doghouse for picking them in the first place.  All CDR’s fault? 

What about Dorsey?  Where was this guy?  He was a scrub the entire night.  He didn’t play with passion or energy or emotion and fouled out chasing a guard out by the 3 point line with a minute left.  Typical of his play throughout his career but still some pro team will take him and we’ll have a potential new Ben Wallace in the NBA. 

Derrick Rose was the best player on the floor.  He showed heart and carried his team when they needed it.  I was even more impressed with him knowing he did well against a team full of McDonald’s all americans. 

In the end I can’t talk about Kansas winning the game and the plays they made because it shouldn’t have mattered.  It shouldn’t have come down to Chalmers making the shot because it should’ve been a 4-8 point lead at that point.  Kansas did what they had to do and got the trophy.  I am happy for Bill Self but not as happy as I would’ve been for me had Memphis pulled it out.

Neither team will be back next year as they both lose a lot of fire power.

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I am pumped for tonights game and not just because I have about 200 dollars riding on it with our company office pool.  I’m pumped because this is the matchup I’ve talked about all season long.  Both teams want to run and put pressure on you and both teams have incredible athletes.  Kansas is a very deep team with height and skill positions with 3 guys coming off the bench who would start anywhere else.  Memphis is athletic and really gets after teams on defense.

Let’s look at some of the key matchups:

Who guards Derrick Rose?  Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers will take turns getting after Rose and it will be Rose’s toughest test to date.  He dominated smallers guards Augustin and Collison but Chalmers is a bit bigger and Robinson plays very physical defense.  It’s important to note that Texas gave Kansas a hard time during the regular season with Augustin and we now know how much better Rose is than DJ.  Rose will attack Kansas and do all he can to get in the key and shoot over Robinson but he won’t be able to get away with it as much when Chalmers guards him.  If you’ll remember from the UCLA game, when Westbrook guarded Rose he wasn’t nearly as aggressive with the ball because of Westbrooks size and athleticism.  This will be fun to watch because Kansas guards love challenges and they’ll be up for this one.

Can Dorsey stay out of foul trouble?  This is where Memphis needs some help.  They need Dorsey on the floor.  He is a great gifted shot blocker and intimdator but Kansas can run bigs at him all night.  They’ll run Arthur, Kaun, Jackson, Aldrich at Dorsey to see what he can and can’t do.  If Taggart can be a threat on offense and rebound on defense then Dorsey can just focus on defense and not letting Kansas get easy buckets.

Lastly, Douglas-Roberts vs Brandon Rush…Both are very good athletes and basketball players.  I was very impressed with Rush in the Carolina game because he finally looked like he was ready to lead the team on a big stage.  Normally i don’t see that from him.  Douglas-Roberts likes to get some easy baskets early and isn’t very smooth on offense.  I’m not impressed with his ball handling skills but for some reason the guy can get stuff done.  His shot is ugly but goes in and his team feeds off his energy.  If he gets going early and they can withstand that initial energy that Kansas will have they will be fine. 

I see Memphis winning it all and making me 200 dollars richer with money that i’ll never tell my wife about.

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