So the Bulls and the Celtics series has FINALLY ended with the good guys coming out on top!!! With Boston winning and the Hawks pulling out the “W” over Miami, the door has opened to the glorious second round of the playoffs. As I love to do, I am going to force feed you all my theories on how these series will play out and then when I am horribly wrong, I will blame it all on you!!!
Orlando vs. Boston
If Kevin Garnett were able bodied (don’t they have cortisone in Boston?) I wouldn’t even waste my massively valuable time writing up this synopsis but since he isn’t, here I GO!!! After a long series with Chicago we learned a few things about the “new” Celts, #1 Paul Pierce isn’t as good as he thinks. Sure he made some big shots but he also effed up a lot, i.e) fouling Noah on a bonehead play that probably cost them the game if not another over time. #2 Boston can get REALLY thin, REALLY fast up front (I am really trying to get a Big Baby joke in here but I am tired) and #3 Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen are part of an elaborate rouse by Ashton Kutcher to Punk the whole world into thinking these 2 DUDS could actually make and NBA squad. As for Orlando, I think they are way too big for the Celts but not too deep for them. If they can get O Town in foul trouble, I think they will be able to pressure their back up players into a big enough hole that they can’t recover but that is a LOOONG stretch….Magic in 6
Atlanta vs. Cleveland
If you skipped the first match up to get to this one you may want to go back to the first sentence and read slowly. My time is valuable and the Cavaliers time is too. I mean how is LeBron going to celebrate being MVP at 24 years old when he has to play these damn playoff games. Cavs = good, Hawks = not good enough. Cavs in 4
Lakers vs. Rockets
I think this is a match up I am anticipating more than most people. One of 2 of the worlds best players (depending on who you like better) vs. one of the worlds best defenders and piss off artists. And if you don’t know who I am talking about, its Yao Ming and Sasha Vujacic…..No seriously, earlier in the year Kobe vs. Artest was AWESOME and gave me my favourite clip of the year which I posted on the site here. I think people are MAJORLY looking past the Big Man and his band of merry men and just thinking LeBron/Kobe finals. Houston is here for a reason, they have a deep team filled with role players that just come to play basketball. Sure they don’t have T-Mac but T-Mac doesn’t have knees or a back so he would only slow them down. What I think this series will come down to is how well Ming can play Gasol and how bad Artest can piss off Kobe. If Ming gets in foul trouble consistently, Houston loses. If Artest can piss Kobe off enough to make him shoot 50 times and forget his teammates, I think LA loses. But…LA in 6
Denver vs. Dallas
I have previously stated my disdain for the Mavericks and their style of play and nothing afforded me more happiness then seeing them get beat on Sunday while I was nursing a WICKED hangover (THANK YOU PACQUIAO). I think Denver is WAY too deep, too dirty and too well rounded to even get sucked into the Diggler’s one man band act. Billups is better than Kidd (at this point in their career), anyone is better than JJ Barea, JR Smith is Jason Terry with attitude, Melo and Dirk are fairly even, Martin is a real thug as opposed to Josh Howard and Nene is a REAL beast as opposed to Ericka Dampier (shout out to the Big Shaqtus). I can see the Mavs lulling the Nuggets to sleep for a game or two so I will say….Denver in 6
Let me know what you guys think in the comments section….PROVE ME WRONG CELTICS!!!
Written on February 25th, 2009 by goatdieselone shout
They do say: “This is LeBron James’ league” and making sure he keeps it that way, LBJ gets fed up with D12 and Devin Harris getting all the limelight and hits a crazy ass shot of his own. I don’t know what it is but ever since the All Star break, there seems to be an insane play everynight!
Remember if you EVER see a play that is crazy that I missed let me know.
Written on February 20th, 2009 by goatdieselone shout
Every year for every sport I get SO excited for days like yesterday, the trade deadlines but why? Every year, I get disappointed. I know I am a SUCKER for rumours and I read about 75 a day and maybe that’s my problem. I just wish for ONCE there would be 5 blockbuster deals and I could go to bed with a smile. Yesterday was more of the same disappointment for me and the rest of the fans out there that were expecting big things or at least one big trade. I will let you know what went down and then you let me know what you think, deal? (more…)
Written on February 14th, 2009 by goatdieselone shout
Hey guys…I know its pretty embarassing when you’re man in the blog world is having a comp problem but that’s life right? Anyway, I am just going to throw out some things about this Saturday night and hope it works out. Just so you all know, I lost EVERY call I made for winners of the events (suckers, no one even bet me!)
Shooting Stars – Detroit Pistons – They took the title after Phoenix had a HUGE lead but could not hit the half court shot. They literally had 35 seconds to pot one from half and could not capitalize!!!
NBA Skills Challenge – Derrick Rose- Rose beat out Devin Harris (my call) by 3 seconds in the final but he finsihed with a huge reverse two hander that had the judges wondering why he wasn’t in the Dunk Contest?
3 Point Shootout – Daequan Cook- Who? Exactly! This rookie came out of nowhere to replace Jason Kapono the two time champion as the 3 point king in the NBA. All the judges said it would be the biggest upset in history if he won but he did. Beating Rashard Lewis in a 1 minute OT to take the crown. For the record, Kapono finished 1 POINT out of the final round
Slam Dunk – Nate Robinson – Lil’ Nate (5′2 from what I hear) beat out Superman (Dwight Howard) in the finals to claim his second dunk off championship. Although, he owes a HUGE debt of gratitude to his competitor for allowing himself to be a prop in the final round that no doubt sent Nate over the edge to be the winner. Dwight was killing the crowd with his unreal athleticism but I think the dunk from the free throw line at the end, killed all his momentum. A big piece of news from this contest came when LeBron James announced he WOULD COMPETE in 2010 in Dallasin the dunk contest.
All in all it was another great night of entertainment but again I lost all my bets. Oh well better luck next year (when the game SHOULD have been in Toronto, until Dallas decided to put up a billion dollar stadium, DAMN!)
Written on February 10th, 2009 by Shaun Sinclair2 shouts
Kobe and LeBron
I don’t give a rat’s ass. That was Kobe Bryant’s response when a reporter asked him how he felt after Lebron James overtook his title of “youngest player in the history of the NBA to reach 12,000 career points” (Lebron reached the mark just after his 24th birthday, while it took Kobe until he was 25). This reaction fell perfectly in line with how I’m used to viewing Kobe – he’s an arrogant, self-centered megastar who can’t be bothered with the suggestion that another player might just be better than he is. To Kobe, he doesn’t owe it to anyone to give a more “politically correct” response. He’s not the type to give us one of these gems we’re so used to hearing from more humble athletes: “Uhh, yeah, you know, Lebron is a great player. I can’t believe how he’s so, umm, dominant at such a young age… I’m not sure who’s a better player, but, you know, individual stats don’t matter and it’s all about the team.” Like him or not, Kobe’s telling us how he actually feels. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass. He thinks/knows he is a better player than Lebron James, and he won’t beat around the bush just to seem like a nice guy. He’s too good for that. (more…)
Written on February 6th, 2009 by goatdiesel3 shouts
Thank GoatDiesel It’s the Weekend! Too many sports, not enough time? Let GoatDiesel solve your problems! Every Friday, I will let you know whats worth watching this coming weekend. So your girlfriend doesn’t make you watch Grey’s Anatomy for the third time because there’s nothing on!!!
Saturday Night:MMA -UFC Fight Night – Free on SpikeTV at 9pm ET! The fight card MIGHT not be anything close to last weekends GSP vs. BJ Penn but it’s free, there’s ring girls and Cain Velasquez is going to be a beast in this sport and this might be the last time you see him for free.
NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7pm ET on CBC - Two of the NHL’s most storied franchises, one for winning the most championships and one for well…Not winning one in about 42 years but who’s counting? Plus you may get another free fight night when Mikhail Grabovski and Andrei Kostitsyn go at it for the Belorussian Featherweight title.
Sunday:NBA - San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics,1pm ABC - Could this be the passing of the guard? Or the old dog showing the puppy who’s boss? San Antone used to be shoo-in’s for making the finals and always had a shot at winning it but lately, all we hear is the Celtics and Lakers are going to win. So let’s see how this plays out…
NBA – LA Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 3:30pm ABC – East vs. West, Kobe vs. LeBron, potential finals match up, what else could you ask for? If you think this is going to be a regular Sunday game you are sorely mistaken. Nobody hates losing more than Kobe and nobody hates everyone talking about LeBron more than Kobe. Nobody hates losing more than LeBron and nobody hates being compared to Kobe more than LeBron, so let’s see who comes out on top.
Well that’s what GoatDiesel will be viewing this weekend, what are you all watching??? Let me know in the comment section…
Written on February 3rd, 2009 by goatdiesel2 shouts
Every year, every team goes through injuries, big and small. This year, it seems like most of them are big, as in big players getting hurt on big teams. 3 more have just gone down in the last week, Jameer Nelson, Andrew Bynum and Chris Paul, with the most serious being Jameer Nelson last night. As of right now the reports are saying either 8-10 weeks or the season and however you slice it, the Magic appeared to be pigeonholed at the PG spot. Their only real serviceable back up is Anthony Johnson (Beetlejuice) and no offence to his pretty face but he ain’t gonna cut it. What can the Magic do? First, they have to decide if they want to shut down Nelson for the year and opt for surgery right away or they can try and rehab him until the playoffs start and see where he is at that point. No matter what the Magic decide to do with Nelson, I think they need to make a trade and with the deadline up in a few weeks, I think that is going to be the option they choose. The first person who comes to mind is Jamaal Tinsley. The Pacers are DYING to get rid of him and after he knocks the rust off (and about 15lbs) no one would be better than him to feed the BEAST AKA Dwight Howard, the rock down low. The only other guy I could see going to the Magic would be Earl Watson. Not happy with his roll in Oklahoma, Watson has been begging for a trade since about November and the Thunder could always use some veteran leadership, a draft pick or at least some money? Well realistically they could use ANYTHING, so this deal may go down too.
Jameer’s injury not only plays a factor with the Magic but it also plays a part with All Star Weekend. Jameer is a reserve on the All Star team and also a participant in the PG Skills Challenge. In my earlier post about the All Star reserves, I sort of, kind of, called out Jameer stating that their may be some other suitable PG’s in the league that deserved his spot. The first guy who comes to mind is Rajon Rondo. Rondo is the PG on the best team in the East and has also had some monster games this year, including 2 HUGE triple doubles. Another guy that could fill in for Nelson on the East squad is Mo Williams and no one would be happier the LeBron James. Williams seems to be the PG the Cavs have been looking for, now second in the East with him at the helm, things couldn’t be going much better for the Cavs and LeBron will tell you its all because of Mighty Mo. Either guy could take over for Nelson in the skills challenge as well but I would like to see either, the other guy who doesn’t get chosen or Jose Calderon. With Calderon’s injury earlier in the year, he kind of negates himself from the running in the All Star game debate but the world needs to know about the Spaniard’s swagger. He is quick, one of the most accurate passers in the NBA and he’s fun to watch. Regardless of what happens during All Star weekend, one thing is for sure, the Orlando Magic need help and they need it NOW. Dwight Howard is a beast but he can’t do it all by himself and as much as I like a good laugh, I don’t think J.J Redick and Beetlejuice are the answer.
Good luck Jameer, I hope you heal up soon. To the NBA, CHOOSE CALDERON FOR THE SKILLS CHALLENGE! Think of it as a global marketing tool!
Written on February 2nd, 2009 by goatdieselno shouts
I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t smile a bit when I first read that Chris Bosh told the Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo that he wasn’t going to re-sign with the team in 2010. If you have been to this site before you know just how unimpressed I am with Bosh’s leadership, shot selection and attitude. This is a GREAT example of all of that, wrapped into one giant ball and thrown in the faces of the Raptors fans and organization. Regardless if Chris felt this way before our slide into the basement of the Eastern Conference, he definitely should have kept this to himself or between him and Colangelo. Bosh has essentially done what I have wanted forever, make all the Raptors fans to take off their rose coloured glasses and start judging Bosh like every other player, instead of giving him a free pass because “his teammates” aren’t up to par or whatever other crazy excuses I hear game in game out.
Seriously, name ONE player you would take from the Cavs besides LeBron? Ok, I know Bosh and LeBron are on different levels but what I am getting at is, you don’t necessarily need the best players on your team to win, you need a good leader and good team chemistry and we have neither. The Cavs has bought into the team philosophy of (more…)
Written on January 17th, 2009 by goatdiesel2 shouts
First off, before I go on this rant that will likely only be stopped by either my fingers or keyboard breaking, let me explain myself. I am a super loyal Toronto Raptors fan and when I say loyal, I mean, when Mike James was our best option I was still making bets for the Eastern Conference finals. This past year, as I mentioned in a past post, I finally realized my dream of buying Raptors season tickets. What is about to transpire is a result of sitting through more home loses than wins, while watching a team that was “built to go deep in the playoffs”. That accompanied with listening to a “franchise” player repeatedly complain about the people who pay his salary, the fans.
First off, HOW DARE YOU!!! Last year I let you get away with it because we were winning and I admit, the fans in the ACC could have definitely been louder on occasion but not this year! This season was supposed to be different. You got your help down low so you don’t bitch about being tired. For crying out loud they turned their #1 pick from one of the best SFs in the league (Andrea) into a centre, just so you would have help. And still you have the audacity to call out the fans for booing when you were only down 3? Did you fall asleep for the first 3 quarters of that game? You WERE up by 17, we weren’t booing you because you were down 3 it was because you were blowing your 4th double digit lead of the season, AT HOME!!! (more…)
