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	<title>Sports News from GoatDiesel. &#187; LeBron James</title>
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		<title>NBA Playoffs Part Deux</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/nba-playoffs-part-deux/</link>
		<comments>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/nba-playoffs-part-deux/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2009 02:43:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Playoffs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Videos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ashton Kutcher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Atlanta Hawks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boston Celtics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brian Scalabrine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carmelo Anthony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chauncey Billups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chicago Bulls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cleveland Cavaliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dallas Mavericks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denver Nuggets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dirk Nowitzki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Erick Dampier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Glen Davis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Houston Rockets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.J Barea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Kidd]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joakim Noah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Josh Howard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kenyon Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Garnett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kobe Bryant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LA Lakers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LeBron James]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manny Pacquiao]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miami Heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NBA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Orlando Magic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pau Gasol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ron Artest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sasha Vujacic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shaquille O'Neal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tony Allen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yao Ming]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8220;W&#8221; over Miami, [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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 &#8220;W&#8221; 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!!!</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Orlando vs. Boston</span></strong></p>
<p>If Kevin Garnett were able bodied (don&#8217;t they have cortisone in Boston?) I wouldn&#8217;t even waste my massively valuable time writing up this synopsis but since he isn&#8217;t, here I GO!!!  After a long series with Chicago we learned a few things about the &#8220;new&#8221; Celts,  <strong>#1</strong> Paul Pierce isn&#8217;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. <strong>#2</strong> 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 <strong>#3 </strong>Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen are part of an elaborate rouse by Ashton Kutcher to <em>Punk </em>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&#8217;t recover but that is a LOOONG stretch&#8230;.<strong>Magic in 6</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Atlanta vs. Cleveland</span></strong></p>
<p>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. <strong>Cavs in 4</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Lakers vs. Rockets</span></strong></p>
<p>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&#8217;t know who I am talking about, its Yao Ming and Sasha Vujacic&#8230;..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<a title="Kobe vs Artest" href="http://www.goatdiesel.com/trashtalk/kobe-vs-artest-the-lost-trash-talk-tape/" target="_blank"> here</a>.  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&#8217;t have T-Mac but T-Mac doesn&#8217;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&#8230;<strong>LA in 6</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Denver vs. Dallas</span></strong></p>
<p>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&#8217;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&#8230;.<strong>Denver in 6</strong></p>
<p>Let me know what you guys think in the comments section&#8230;.PROVE ME WRONG CELTICS!!!</p>
<p><strong><em>Peace!</em></strong></p>
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		<title>LeBron James: Enough of you, more of me!!!</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/lebron-james-enough-of-you-more-me/</link>
		<comments>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/lebron-james-enough-of-you-more-me/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:33:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Videos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Devin Harris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dwight Howard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LeBron James]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[They do say: &#8220;This is LeBron James&#8217; league&#8221; and making sure he keeps it that way, LBJ gets fed up with D12 and Devin Harris getting all the limelight and hits [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>They do say: &#8220;This is LeBron James&#8217; league&#8221; 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&#8217;t know what it is but ever since the All Star break, there seems to be an insane play everynight! </p>
<p>Remember if you EVER see a play that is crazy that I missed let me know.</p>
<p><object width="425" height="344" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/LVjcDwkNF1I&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LVjcDwkNF1I&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /></object></p>
<p><strong>Peace!</strong></p>
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		<title>Trade Dead Line&#8230;Boring</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/trashtalk/trade-dead-lineboring/</link>
		<comments>http://www.goatdiesel.com/trashtalk/trade-dead-lineboring/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:56:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trash Talk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andres Nocioni]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brad Miller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cedric Simmons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Wilcox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drew Gooden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Salmons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LeBron James]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Malik Rose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patrick O'Bryant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rafer Alston]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shaquille O'Neal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Will Solomon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.goatdiesel.com/?p=399</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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&#8217;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? <span id="more-399"></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Houston, Memphis and Orlando</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>To Houston: PG Kyle Lowry and F Brian Cook</strong></p>
<p><strong>To Orlando:  PG Rafer Alston</strong></p>
<p><strong>To Memphis: Unprotected First Round Pick From Orlando, PG Mike Wilks and C Adonal Foyle</strong></p>
<p><strong>Winner: Memphis for sure, the pick and 2 expiring contracts, NICE!</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chicago and New York</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>To Chicago: F Tim Thomas (again), F Jerome James and G Anthony Roberson</strong></p>
<p><strong>To New York: G/F Larry Hughes</strong></p>
<p><strong>Winner: No one, pretty boring trade actually.</strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Oklahoma City and New York</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>To New York: F/C Chris Wilcox</strong></p>
<p><strong>To OKC: F Malik Rose</strong></p>
<p><strong>Winner: New York only because Malik Rose will never set foot in OKC, Believe DAT!</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Toronto, Sacramento and Boston</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>To Toronto: C Patrick O&#8217;Bryant</strong></p>
<p><strong>To Sacramento: Will Solomon (THANK GOD)</strong></p>
<p><strong>To Boston: Heavily Protected 2nd Round Pick from Sac-Town</strong></p>
<p><strong>Winner: My Raps of course! They got rid of my least favourite player in HISTORY and they get some height and youth regardless of how slow he is.</strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chicago and Sacramento</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>To Chicago: C Brad Miller and G/F John Salmons</strong></p>
<p><strong>To Sac-Town: F Drew Gooden, F Andres Nocioni and F Cedric Simmons</strong></p>
<p><strong>Winner: Has to be Chicago.  Miller is capable as a C and John Salmons is versatile.  Sac-Town just gets  a salary dump at the end of the year.</strong></p>
<p>There were other trades but nothing too interesting (as if this stuff was). What did you all think of what went down?  Don&#8217;t you wish you were going to watch Shaq and LeBron team up?  Man that would have been awesome!</p>
<p>&#8220;Tell me how my ass tastes?&#8221; ha ha  if you don&#8217;t know what that reference means look it up.</p>
<p><strong>Peace!</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong></p>
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		<title>Quick Update: All Star Saturday Night</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/quick-update-all-star-saturday-night/</link>
		<comments>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/quick-update-all-star-saturday-night/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:25:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daequan Cook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Derrick Rose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Detroit Pistons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Devin Harris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dwight Howard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Kapono]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LeBron James]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nate Robinson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phoenix Suns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rashard Lewis]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Hey guys&#8230;I know its pretty embarassing when you&#8217;re man in the blog world is having a comp problem but that&#8217;s life right?  Anyway, I am just going to throw out some [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey guys&#8230;I know its pretty embarassing when you&#8217;re man in the blog world is having a comp problem but that&#8217;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!)</p>
<p><strong>Shooting Stars &#8211; Detroit Pistons</strong> &#8211; 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!!!</p>
<p><strong>NBA Skills Challenge &#8211; Derrick Rose</strong>- 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&#8217;t in the Dunk Contest?</p>
<p><strong>3 Point Shootout &#8211; Daequan Cook</strong>- 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 <strong>1 POINT</strong> out of the final round <img src='http://www.goatdiesel.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p><strong>Slam Dunk &#8211; Nate Robinson &#8211; </strong>Lil&#8217; Nate (5&#8242;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 <strong>LeBron James announced he WOULD COMPETE in 2010 in Dallas</strong> <strong>in the dunk contest</strong>.</p>
<p>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!)</p>
<p><strong>Peace!</strong></p>
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		<title>NBA vs NHL: Personality Conflicts</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/trashtalk/nba-vs-nhl-personality-conflicts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.goatdiesel.com/trashtalk/nba-vs-nhl-personality-conflicts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:33:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shaun Sinclair</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hockey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trash Talk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alexander Ovechkin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kobe Bryant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LeBron James]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NBA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sidney Crosby]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_315" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 470px"><img class="size-full wp-image-315" title="kobe-lebron" src="http://www.goatdiesel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/kobe-lebron.jpg" alt="Kobe and LeBron" width="460" height="310" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Kobe and LeBron</p></div>
<p>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.<span id="more-313"></span></p>
<p>There are some people who see Kobe’s attitude and are turned off by it.  Others will applaud his confidence and view him as the coolest guy ever.  No matter what side of the fence you fall on, you can’t deny the fact that Kobe’s unapologetic attitude about being the best basketball player in the world helps to build up the rivalry between him and Lebron.  This kind of stuff makes for great entertainment and adds more fuel to the fire as the debate rages on about who is the better player.  The Kobe vs. Lebron angle will be played up in sports media for years to come.  As the hype machine grows, so do ticket sales and TV ratings.  The NBA has always been a star-driven league, and even though they may look like idiots sometimes, the players understand that.  Most aren’t shy to show off their personalities, and the storylines grow from there.</p>
<p>Based on the incredible talents of their top performers, the NHL should be a star-driven league as well.  The problem with hockey players, however, is that they are simply too nice, or at least too well-mannered when the microphone is in front of their face.  Yeah, their humbleness makes them quite likeable in a “role model” kind of way, but it sure ain’t interesting.  Sidney Crosby playing hockey puts me on the edge of my seat.  Sidney Crosby’s personality (or lack thereof) puts me to sleep, yet the NHL continues to market Crosby as the game’s biggest star.  To some extent, I believe his talent should speak for itself, but we’ve reached a point where the NHL needs something else to vault itself into the upper echelon of professional sports leagues.</p>
<p>It’s a well-known fact that Sid the Kid went through lessons in media training to prepare for life under the spotlight.  While his squeaky-clean image helped him earn endorsements, it’s not helping the NHL’s entertainment value.  We’ve all seen Crosby wear his emotions on his sleeve in the heat of battle, and I think the league would really benefit if he started to come out of his shell a bit more off the ice.  And that can be said for the majority of pro hockey players, especially the North American ones.</p>
<p>So who’s the biggest “personality” in hockey today (aside from Don Cherry)?  I think most would agree that distinction belongs to Alexander Ovechkin.  Ovechkin represents a new kind of hockey star, one that the NHL would be wise to promote above any of the other boring meatheads.  In the first interview I ever saw with him, he could barely even put a sentence together in English, but it was a hundred times more enjoyable than anything I’ve ever heard Crosby say.  “Who’s your favorite player in the NHL?” the reporter asked.  Looking as goofy as ever, Ovechkin didn’t hesitate to answer: “Me!”  He may have been smiling, but he certainly wasn’t joking.  Like Kobe (although he comes off more innocent and a lot more charming), Ovechkin thinks/knows he is the best, and that makes for great television.  I want to see more of this guy and more guys like him.  The NHL is so starved for personalities like this, and in my opinion, they are missing out by making Crosby their poster boy over Ovechkin.</p>
<p>The Crosby/Ovechkin comparison leads to a wider realization: lately, the compelling storylines in the NHL have revolved around European players.  Just look at the rivalry between Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, or (on a smaller scale) Mikhail Grabovski vs. Sergei Kostitsyn.  TSN, trying their best to hype up a run-of-the-mill regular season game in February, ran a long feature on the “Battling Belarusians” back-to-back days on Sportscentre.  When I tuned in at 7:00 to watch the game on Hockey Night in Canada, the broadcast began with a shot of Kostitsyn in the dressing room pretending to train for a boxing match, wearing gloves and throwing fake punches at the camera.  By God, the Euros get it!</p>
<p>Leafs coach Ron Wilson got sour (big surprise!) at all the fuss that the media was making about the Grabovski/Kostitsyn feud.  “Are ticket sales down in Montreal?  Geez, why is everyone making such a big deal about this?”  Wilson’s attitude is typical of the traditionalists who believe the game sells itself, and that belief might hold water when you’re talking about lifelong hockey fans.  To attract new fans to the game, however, the league should embrace the egos and the gimmicks.  Coaches, general managers, and the rest of the old farts won’t like it, but to hell with ‘em.  When the audience grows, they’ll all end up richer anyways.</p>
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		<title>T.G.I.W!!!</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/basketball/tgiw/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:14:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Andrei Kostitsyn]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Thank GoatDiesel It&#8217;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 [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank GoatDiesel It&#8217;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&#8217;t make you watch Grey&#8217;s Anatomy for the third time because there&#8217;s nothing on!!!</p>
<p><strong>Saturday Night:</strong>  <strong>MMA -</strong> <strong>UFC Fight Night</strong> &#8211; <strong>Free on SpikeTV at 9pm ET!</strong>  The fight card MIGHT not be anything close to last weekends GSP vs. BJ Penn but it&#8217;s free, there&#8217;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.</p>
<p><strong>NHL &#8211; Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7pm ET on CBC</strong> - Two of the NHL&#8217;s most storied franchises, one for winning the most championships and one for well&#8230;Not winning one in about 42 years but who&#8217;s counting?  Plus you may get another free fight night when Mikhail Grabovski and Andrei Kostitsyn go at it for the Belorussian Featherweight title.</p>
<p><strong>Sunday:</strong>  <strong>NBA</strong> -<strong> San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics,</strong> <strong>1pm ABC </strong>- Could this be the passing of the guard?  Or the old dog showing the puppy who&#8217;s boss?  San Antone used to be shoo-in&#8217;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&#8217;s see how this plays out&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>NBA &#8211; LA Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 3:30pm ABC &#8211; </strong>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&#8217;s see who comes out on top.</p>
<p>Well that&#8217;s what GoatDiesel will be viewing this weekend, what are you all watching???  Let me know in the comment section&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>Peace!</strong></p>
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		<title>Injuries Hurt! Jameer Nelson Done?</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:08:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
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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 [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-245" title="Jameer Nelson" src="http://www.goatdiesel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/ept_sports_nba_experts-296207819-1233680718.jpg" alt="Jameer Nelson" width="523" height="267" /></p>
<p>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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>Jameer&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;t get chosen or Jose Calderon.  With Calderon&#8217;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&#8217;s swagger.  He is quick, one of the most accurate passers in the NBA and he&#8217;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&#8217;t do it all by himself and as much as I like a good laugh, I don&#8217;t think J.J Redick and Beetlejuice are the answer.  </p>
<p>Good luck Jameer, I hope you heal up soon. To the NBA, <strong>CHOOSE CALDERON FOR THE SKILLS CHALLENGE!</strong>  Think of it as a global marketing tool!</p>
<p><strong>Peace!</strong></p>
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		<title>Bosh Not Re-signing In 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.goatdiesel.com/trashtalk/bosh-leaving-on-a-jet-plane/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:29:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[I would be lying to you if I said I didn&#8217;t smile a bit when I first read that Chris Bosh told the Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo that he wasn&#8217;t going [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I would be lying to you if I said I didn&#8217;t smile a bit when I first read that Chris Bosh told the Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo that he wasn&#8217;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&#8217;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 &#8220;his teammates&#8221; aren&#8217;t up to par or whatever other crazy excuses I hear game in game out. </p>
<p>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&#8217;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 <span id="more-227"></span>defence and they all truly believe, like the rest of the world, that LeBron is the greatest player in the league right now (Sorry Kobe).  The only thing it seems like the Raptors have bought into is a philosophy that we can&#8217;t close out games and no matter what happens, its always your fault, not Chris Bosh&#8217;s. I have been at almost all the Raps home games and I have seen things progressively getting worse and worse as far as team chemistry goes.  It all started when Sam Mitchell got fired, Bosh was noticeably sulking and that&#8217;s fine with me for a few games but you are a professional get over it. Then during halftime warm ups, as soon as his teammates came to join him he would sit on the bench and&#8230;.sulk.  Then I saw something funny while I was at the Phoenix game, Chris was flying down on a 2 on 1 with Joey Graham and he fired a very high and hard no look pass that Joey couldn&#8217;t handle.  Chris then began to yell at Graham, usually Graham would apologize but this time he just walked away from Bosh and when he continued to yell, Joey turned around an just waved Bosh off, as if to say &#8220;Shut up, it was your fault anyway&#8221;.  To me that shows a sign that not only has he lost faith in the team but the team has had enough of his antics and lost faith in Bosh.</p>
<p>What are the Raptors options now?  With a losing record, an unhappy franchise player and no cap space, not many.  Now that Bosh has gone public and let the rest of the league know he is no longer happy in Toronto, his value INSTANTLY dropped.  That is an all too familiar situation for us Raptors fans, welcome Vince Carter 2.0!  The only benefit Raps fans have this time around is a better GM, well supposedly.  Will we trade Bosh?  I am not sure? I could even see this story being denied by Bosh in the next 48 hours and that could also be Colalgelo&#8217;s plan, so we don&#8217;t end up with Alonzo Mourning in return.  If we do trade Bosh right now I don&#8217;t even think it&#8217;s possible to get fair value for him because of his contract and where he is in his career because obviously if you trade Bosh you are instantly in rebuild mode and you&#8217;re not going to get 2 or 3 young studs for well..1 young stud???  Its a very weird situation and one that will be very interesting to see if it plays out as a saga or more like a short one page story.</p>
<p>For me, if Bosh really said this stuff (after all it was Stephen A. Smith who reported it) I think it should show the organization what type of player they are building around.  Sure losing is no fun but man up and wait till the offseason to let the team know your intentions for the coming year.  You certainly don&#8217;t go calling up ESPN after a 20+ point blow out and tell the team that way. Because you just look like a sore loser that can&#8217;t handle the pressure of being the leader of a losing team.  If you need some inspiration, look at Paul Pierce.  That guy went through the wringer EVERY YEAR he was in Boston and from what I remember, he never publicly demanded a trade (to clarify Bosh didn&#8217;t directly but this has to be seen as a back hand way out) and now look at him.  I know the chances of us landing something similar to KG and Ray Allen are very slim, I just think there would have been a better way out than this.</p>
<p>Can we turn this around?  For sure!  We are only 4 games out of the final playoff spot and the Raps last 2 months of games is about as easy as it gets in the NBA.  We do probably need to make a trade though, just not CB4.  I am not even sure O&#8217;Neal should be traded but something has to go down and the deadline is only a few weeks away so don&#8217;t be surprised if that is sooner than later.  In the mean time, Bosh you&#8217;re a good player but you have your faults too, so stop blaming your teammates, start taking the ball to the rack and most of all, keep your future plans to yourself and out Stephen A. Smith&#8217;s ear.  There is one thing for sure, its onlt going to get a lot harder for Bosh here on out because he&#8217;s definitely going to hear it from fans that are upset about what he has said&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>Peace!</strong></p>
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		<title>An Open Letter To Chris Bosh&#8230;.</title>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:35:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>goatdiesel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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 &#8220;built to go deep in the playoffs&#8221;.  That accompanied with listening to a &#8220;franchise&#8221; player repeatedly complain about the people who pay his salary, the fans.</p>
<p>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&#8217;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&#8217;t booing you because you were down 3 it was because you were blowing your 4th double digit lead of the season, AT HOME!!!<br />
<span id="more-143"></span><br />
You wanted to be MVP this season?  Too bad they don&#8217;t cast their ballots after 7 games, you woulda been a shoo in.  You started out this season with so much promise.  You had your big man next to you taking some weight off your shoulders in the post. You finally had a point guard that wanted to give you the ball rather then chuck shots.  Everything was perfect, then came the New Jersey game.  I am not so blind with rage right now that I am going to blame you for that loss but I am wholeheartedly going to blame you for what happened after it.  Like I said before, you wanted to be MVP?  Well an MVP takes a heart breaking loss and makes its something to build off. What did you do?  You sulked for a WHOLE game AT HOME for all to watch.  Don&#8217;t think you can get away with your subtleties with me! I am watching you and I have been since I lostsight of you during our playoff series with the Nets.  Then again, it wasn&#8217;t my fault, you weren&#8217;t there until about game 5 when it was pretty much in the bag.  And at that Sunday game against the Celtics, you were up to some things I was used to watching a certain #15 pull.  During time outs you weren&#8217;t with the team, one time you were even so BALLSY that during a pivotal stretch you decided it was better to practice &#8220;scoop shots&#8221; on the net rather then listen to you coach.  No wonder Sam Mitchell got fired, his &#8220;franchise player&#8221; wasn&#8217;t listening to him.  Oh it doesn&#8217;t stop there, at half time you came out early to practice that effing high elbow shot you just love SO MUCH, then as soon as a teammate stepped on that court what did you do?  Y0u walk over to the bench and sulk AGAIN.  Oh boo hoo&#8230;Toronto&#8217;s ex-hero came back into town and beat you in dramatic fashion. Christ, if you would have only got this upset during the playoffs in &#8217;06-&#8217;07 we might have WON more than 2 games. </p>
<p>You can be mad at whoever blew that defensive assignment on that back screen and let Vince win that game but then you wouldn&#8217;t want to open the flood gates for fingering point, so I will.  Let&#8217;s take your latest feat of leadership and basketball prowess that played out tonight.  Down 24 to INDIANA, Toronto mustered an unreal comeback on the road, breaking the lead down to 1.  Indiana had probably made 3 of their last 12 shots and like always you get caught out of position on D and Mike Dunleavy JR. is wide open.  So what trick do you pull out of your MVP bag?  Foul him on a desperation 3 that he probably had 30% of going in and probably a 10% chance if you just ran out extending your arms.  Naw&#8230;Lets give a career 80% FT shooter 3 shots in a close game with less than a minute to go. MVP, MVP!!!  Sure sure, that&#8217;s ONE game right?  WRONG!  I&#8217;ll even let the Chicago &#8220;game&#8221; winner the other night slide because Noah played  good defence (not that there wasn&#8217;t 4 other guys on your team on the court) but why don&#8217;t we skip to Boston game in the 4th quarter on the 12th of January. The Raptors stage yet another comeback in the 4th, IN BOSTON. It&#8217;s gotta be Chris Bosh time right?  WRONG AGAIN!  I can&#8217;t even count the number of times you fumbled the ball, made a bad pass or just seem disinterested in having the ball at all.  So who do we rely on to take this game into OT? None other than everyone else&#8217;s favourite scape goat, Andrea Bargnani.  This guy was a number one pick ,chosen by someone else. That pressure on him isn&#8217;t self-induced it was just part of the territory but everyone let&#8217;s you slide because &#8220;Bosh had no help, what was he supposed to do? Garnettwas guarding him&#8221;  Sorry that doesn&#8217;t pass with me. </p>
<p>You know how much money I could have made off you this season if I would bet $100 for the last minute of every game or even how you would play against a certain team? L.A: I told my boys &#8220;Bosh won&#8217;t show up, it&#8217;s the big stage&#8221; $100.  Chicago game &#8211; To the guy in the seats behind me: &#8220;So what&#8217;s the last play?&#8221; Buddy: &#8220;I don&#8217;t even wanna guess&#8221; Goat: &#8220;I call Bosh low post, blown lay up&#8221;.  Well I would have had $100 if you could made it past Noah to attempt a lay up.  Portland to my bro on Blackberry Messenger:  &#8220;Steve Blake 3&#8243; (it happened) &#8220;I call last play to Bosh, blown jumper&#8221; $100 because there is no way you can call whatever that was a layup, you were 9 feet from the backboard.  If you guys are this predictable to me?  How about someone who JUST watches game tape EVERYDAY for a living?</p>
<p>I know what everyone is thinking.  &#8220;Goat, take it easy on this guy he&#8217;s a professional athlete.  He can&#8217;t win all the games.&#8221; You know what, you&#8217;re right.  I shouldn&#8217;t expect him to come out and win every game by himself but the SECOND he tells me the ACC has to be louder because they need us for support, he puts the onus on himself now.  If we cheer and yell and scream until our throats are raw,  that Mofo better start winning some close games in the final seconds.  The next time, when he tells me &#8220;Its hard to take when you&#8217;re down 3 and you get booed&#8221;.  First off, you told us to be vocal so we were.  Secondly, don&#8217;t try and put ANY blame on people like me, who save all their cash for tickets, to see a &#8221;star&#8221; player  who can&#8217;t admit he needs to man up rather than blame the fans for blowing a 14 point lead. All because we booed, GROW UP! </p>
<p>Is Chris Bosh an All Star? Maybe? Is he a top 10 talent? Nope.  If I was starting a franchise would I choose him? Nope.  Why? Plain and simple, this guy is NOT a leader.  You ask any Raptors fan that isn&#8217;t blind and they will say the same thing because we have all seen it so many times.  In games when you&#8217;re all digging deep and need a leader 9 times out of 10 we lose.  Don&#8217;tbelieve me?  Look it up, its FACT.  Sure, like I said before he can&#8217;t win every game but how about even 50% shit even 40% I would be happy with but no we don&#8217;t even get THAT.  Seriously in your head think back to the last close game we won?  Orlando at home on the 4th of Jan? Don&#8217;t forget we were also up 12 at one point AT HOME but regardless that is one game ALL season and trust me there has been more then 2 close games all season. </p>
<p>Do I hate Chris Bosh?  No not even close.  I think he is a good player and he could be a great player but he has a lot more work to do then a lot of people give him credit for.  The first thing I would LOVE for Chris to do is STOP TAKING SO MANY JUMPERS.  Chris, we KNOW you can shoot big man! Very good but come on, you&#8217;re fast, your agile and your angry, take it to the RACK.  The other night I saw you blow by Kevin Garnett and hammer it home and sure that may seem like a great play but that tells me something.  Youjust blew by one of the best defenders at your position with ease, that means you could do that to almost anyone. But you would rather step back and take shots full well knowing, we are one of the weakest rebounding teams in the league.  Now I don&#8217;t know if that is coaching but I can&#8217;t think for a minute your coaches would be that dumb.  We have Andrea, AP and Kapono to stretch the defence we certainly dont need you out there.  The second thing I would tell Chris to do is MAN UP.  I would WAY rather you tell me to &#8220;F*** off&#8221; then say &#8220;its hard when you&#8217;re getting booed&#8221;.  COME ON, I know you apologized for that statement but that was from the heart and sure it must be hard when you lose at home and you&#8217;re getting booed but that&#8217;s your life and your job, you chose it.  You don&#8217;t wanna get booed, WIN or at least don&#8217;t continuously blow double digit leads at home.  Its that too much to ask for?</p>
<p>Now I know all the blame shouldn&#8217;tbe on you and I am probably writing this in haste but I had to get this off my chest.  You successfully ruined another Friday night for me.  I know it&#8217;s sad that a basketball game dictated my night but that&#8217;s the truth of the matter and if things keep going the way they&#8217;re going, you&#8217;re going to ruin my whole year.  Then I am going to move to Oklahoma City. Where their star player at least plays his heart out everynight  and he&#8217;s not waiting for 2010 so he can cash a fat cheque and let another superstar do all the work *cough Lebron in New York*</p>
<p>Chris, I like you, I really do!  But please stop calling me and the Raptor fans out, start playing some heartfelt basketball for a FULL 4 QUARTERS and let&#8217;s just make it to the effing second round of the playoffs.  Then I&#8217;ll get off your ass and you can go play video games with LBJ in NYC in 2010.  Deal?</p>
<p>Peace!</p>
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