No more tears! Hold on to your Ariza! THE BOOZY IS BACK!

Finally...The Boozy has come back to the interwebs (Yes, that was a Rock reference) . Yes its been a long time. But as Buzz Lightyear once said in the hit comedy "Toy Story", "Let's not dwell on the past."

Starting tonight, The Boozy is back. This is as good time as any to relaunch the Boozy. The NBA draft is in two days. We have a whole off-season to get reacquainted....you know to get know one another before we jump into bed and start a long-lasting meaningful relationship. Unlike last time, this is not about one night stands or drunken hook-ups. Here at the Boozy we expect you to stick around for breakfast. Maybe meet the kids.

We will be blogging at least four times a week. So check back often for updates. The site's layout is pretty boring right now, but I promise....that will be worked on in the coming weeks. By Opening Night 2009, the Boozy will be slick, gorgeous, and user-friendly.

So without further ado....let's jump on the NBA wagon.

With the draft only hours away, teams are trying to figure out their position for the upcoming season. This is a very interesting draft. Not so much because of the players involved, but because this is the year teams have to make decisions that will affect their team for seasons to come. Allow me to explain:

-The draft is relatively weak compared to the last few years. The NCAA tournament was, in all honesty, pretty dreadful to watch. Boring games, a predictable outcome, and not enough incredible individual performances. Nearly all the players in the draft (Blake Griffin included) have holes in their games. This steams from the fact in 2006, the NBA put in a rule that only players 19 years of age and at least one year removed from their high school class can enter the draft. This will be the fourth draft since that rule was created. You would have thought that the level of play in collegiate ranks would have increased because high school players who would have entered the draft at 18, now must play at least one year in college. It hasn't. The few guys who could have jumped proved their ability in the college ranks (Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, and etc.) and left after their freshman year. This created the one and done player and essentially turning their colleges into the NBDL....it wasn't about college, it was about becoming NBA factories.

- Every team must choose now where they stand on the 2010 free agent class. We all have heard about this. King James, D-Wade, Mr. Canada, and Chris Bosh (I don't have a nickname for him) will all be available. So now teams are deciding if they will be in or out. A lot of teams are choosing in...which means trimming payroll and rolling the dice for a year from now. If they succeed and sign one of the big-names, it would be a franchise-changing acquisition that would set the team up for years to come. But if the fail....they would have cost the team two years and must start rebuilding....which usually takes another two or three years. So that's five lost years. This summer teams such as the Knicks, Suns, Nets, and Pistons are cost-cutting, which means getting rid of high-priced players and high round draft picks. Teams such as the Spurs, Wizards, and Cavs thinks this is the time to cash in and go for it. So they are trading their picks for more proven talent.

-Yes...the recession. Players that would have in years past gotten absurd contracts are not only getting less, but are being ignored in favored of cheaper talent. You would think this would help the draft. But because the talent this year is less (at least say the experts), the picks are actually being undervalued. The scale salary hasn't changed since 2006. And there's a belief that next year's draft will be better. So some teams rather save their money (as little as it is) and draft next year.

-While the draft may lack superstars...there very well could be a good number of role players. The Lakers and Magic had a blueprint that all of teams are starting to follow: two stars, one complementary player, and a bunch of specialized role players. For example, Stephen Curry. While he probably never be a star (really doesn't play great defense and shoots a lot), he scores. He's a fireplug of a sixth man. A Ben Gordon type with better ball-handling skills. Another example, DeJuan Blair. A big body who knows how to rebound. May not score tons. Think a little less polished Paul Milsap. Solid players...guys you want on a good team. Notice what the T-wolves are doing. They have Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, two potential 20-10 guys. Now they need a backcourt. They have four picks in the first round. They are going to take Curry (3 point shooting and ball handling), a scorer (Harden), a back-up basher (Blair), and Terrence Williams (a defensive specialist). None of these guys will be stars...but they fill a need. This won't make them a playoff team this year, but they are stock piling with role players. Building a team up. Then they go after a Steve Nash or a Jason Kidd next year.

So point being...this is a very important draft for a bunch of reasons. And I am so pumped for it I can hardly contain myself. Tune in tomorrow for the Boozy's full draft preview, including:

-Up to last second Mock Draft
-Trade reviews
-And a surprise guest!

Doozy On The 2008 Playoffs: Part 1 - The Finals

It's been a while, huh?

I've been waiting a good two months since the end of the finals to do a retrospective simply because I wanted to get all of the excitement of Boston winning out of my system. By the way, it didn't work. I'm still excited. I still make mention of the championship on my Facebook status and probably will until November. But I had to write something at some point, right? So here we are. Where do I begin?

I'll start by saying I told you so. In my last column.

Okay, so I didn't predict a winner or find any single key to winning (like, say, Paul Pierce's MVP performance), but I did show how both teams could have won or lost by exploiting each team's strengths and weaknesses. Take this quote:

"I think this series will depend on who will show up. For the Celtics, the focus is still on Ray Allen, who returned to proper form in the Conference Finals but has yet to prove he can be consistent. Paul Pierce is expected to play his best series against the Lakers as he's historically played better against the team that he once saw growing up near the old Forum. Garnett will be Garnett. But the rest of the starters will have something to prove--especially Rondo, who can join the level of Tony Parker if he makes it out of the series with the title."

And everything went according to plan. Allen, after returning to proper form in the previous series, kept the mojo going, busting out 22 3's on the Lakers in the Finals (a record, by the way). Paul Pierce played his absolute best, being at the right place at the right time. That includes his amazing, 'mini-Willis' comeback in game 1 that ignited both the team and the crowd. (I recall KG saying after the game that he didn't notice Pierce coming out. He just heard the fans going crazy with no clue why, since nobody was running any plays on the court. But somewhere in his heart I'm sure he knew he was there, even before he saw him at the sub table.) And remember that the real turning point in the historic game 4 comeback was when Pierce asked Doc Rivers to guard Kobe Bryant in the second half, leading to a very memorable blocked shot courtesy of PP. No wonder he got the MVP trophy over KG. After all, KG was just being KG.

But wasn't that a suprise in and of itself? KG somehow broke free of his previous stigma of backing out of big games to put on a defensive show that gave me flashbacks to Tim Duncan's lights-out performance in the 2005 finals. His best moment had to be the move I call the "Hand of God," where in the third quarter of game seven he stopped Pau Gasol dead in his tracks as he was going for a jump shot. He didn't even let Gasol get off the ground. And he did it with ONE HAND. Pau was using two and got stuffed with one hand--the Hand of God. No wonder KG put on his intensity face after that play. That one play, in my opinion, summed up the Finals in a nutshell. A power offense getting stopped by a far more powerful defense.

And didn't we learn from Dennis Rodman's movie Double Team that defense wins the game? The C's are living proof.

As far as Rondo's performance goes... wow. He definitely had something to prove in the Finals, and he gave us proof that he's one of the quickest, smartest and all around best point guards in the league. Is he on the level of Tony Parker? Oh, yeah. Especially after Parker gave us that poo-poo performance in the Western Conference Finals. At this point I'm pretty sure Rondo's surpassed him, especially in passing and speed. As I like to tell a friend and Suns fan here in my office, Phoenix sold him to Boston for just CASH. Looks like Boston finally got its money's worth.

So here's to the C's on their 17th banner, and the hope for an 18th next June.

(By the way, who showed up on the Lakers for all six games besides Kobe? And didn't I write that what happens to the Lakers depends on who shows up besides Kobe? Hey, when I'm right, I'm right.)

Doozy On The Showdown

Celtics versus Lakers. Lakers versus Celtics.

You couldn't begin to imagine the feeling of anger I had when the Lakers beat the Spurs in five games. Five finals appearances in nine years? MVP Kobe in line to be the next MJ? Say it isn't so!

Then it happened, one day later. The Celtics knocked the Pistons off on the road in a game six thriller. Well, it was a thriller if you were a Celtics fan. I guess you could say I was thrilled about a pretty one-sided win. Even better, With a game 6 win to clinch the series, the Celts had an extra two days to rest that they wouldn't have had if they went to a game 7. That was a breath of fresh air for a team that went through two straight game 7's, including that amazing shootout against Cleveland.

All this adds up to the two of the best teams in the regular season at 100%, going at it 100%. Add in the whole Finals rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics and you've got the best Finals matchup in recent memory.

But this series has a lot to live up to. Sportswriters across the nation can't get enough of comparing this series to the last ten LA/Boston Finals, which is somewhat of an unfair comparison since time has elevated every player in those games to legendary status. Should we really be putting Kobe, Pau, KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen alongside the likes of Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Kareem, Magic, and even James Worthy? There's still much to be proven by our 2008 superstars and people should really wait after at least one game to see who raises their status from star to legend.

Unlike the press, I'm putting this series side-to-side with with another Finals that had nothing to do with Celtics or Lakers. I'm hoping this series will be as good or exceed what I believe to be the best Finals of the decade--the 2005 NBA Finals between the Spurs and Pistons.

Aside from being a grueling, slow series (grueling to watch at times, too), it featured amazing performances from a great cast of characters. The Pistons played four all-stars on their starting five of Chauncey, Rip, Tayshaun, Sheed, and Big Ben Wallace. This series was also the first real appearance of the big three for the Spurs now that Speedy Claxton left and Tony Parker had to take the reins of the main playmaker for the entire Finals. Both teams had excellent jump shooting, suffocating defenses, and quick slashers (Rip for Detroit and Parker for the Spurs). This series also featured two excellent, destined-to-be-hall-of-famers coaches at the top of their game (Greg Popovich and Larry Brown). The teams traded back-and-forth blows until reaching a game seven in San Antonio where the Spurs held on for a 81-74 win. This series also featured an incredible game 5 that ended in overtime--and a road win for the Spurs.

The 2005 finals was great for hardcore basketball fans who love watching a good defensive play as much as a dynamic dunk. But for casual fans, this game was a nightmare. Neither team was flashy or quick, and both teams resided in small markets. All in all it was an unpopular series, but it remains one of the most highly competitive finals of the decade.

At least it got to a game 7.

The one thing this year's Finals has done better than its 2005 iteration is pull in the casual fans. The press is doing whatever it can to hearken the public back to the league's glory days in the 80's by writing about and showing as many moments from the '84, '85, and '87 finals as they can. Fine with me. It's always good to see Kareem elbowing Bird or McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis--more the latter for me--but I wish that I didn't have to see it for one week straight while we're waiting for the finals to begin. Whatever it takes to get the nation to tune in, I guess.

But can the 2008 Finals match up to the intense and hard-fought nature of the 2005 Finals? We'll have to wait and see. As for the series itself...

I think this series will depend on who will show up. For the Celtics, the focus is still on Ray Allen, who returned to proper form in the Conference Finals but has yet to prove he can be consistent. Paul Pierce is expected to play his best series against the Lakers as he's historically played better against the team that he once saw growing up near the old Forum. Garnett will be Garnett. But the rest of the starters will have something to prove--especially Rondo, who can join the level of Tony Parker if he makes it out of the series with the title. Doc Rivers picked the best time to narrow his rotation, and the five starters along with James Posey, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Eddie House and Big Baby will need to share the load on defense and the bench guys will need to play smart defense as they rotate back and forth on Kobe.

Kobe will show up, but what about the rest of the Lakers? As the playoffs kept going, Derek Fisher got good (against Denver), then got really good (against Utah) then sort of faded back into the background (against San Antonio). It seems like his performance depends on the defense he's up against. If that's the case, he'll have a hard time with the quicker Rajon Rondo. Where the Celtics have a giant hole on defense against Kobe, you could say Vladi Radmanovic is the human hole since he's a poor defender on the far superior Paul Pierce. The RadMan will have to prove he isn't a defensive liability for the Lakers if he wants to stay in. If not, it'll be up to Luke Walton to post up The Truth--again not an ideal scenario for LA. Pau Gasol will need to exploit his size mismatch with Kendrick Perkins when he gets to the post since that will be his best position to score. Any jumpers he will attempt could get blocked from behind by KG if he isn't careful. The true X-Factor for the Lakers has to be Lamar Odom. He's been playing his best basketball in the past few weeks but curbed that trend in his last couple of games against the Spurs. He'll need to be the second-leading scorer if the Lakers want to win.

In past blogs I've said or made hints regarding who I think will win. I'm not going to give a prediction this time, because the matchup is so close. These are the top seeds, two of the top three teams in the regular season (Detroit was second), and the two teams that landed blockbuster trades before the playoffs. Neither team matches up particularly well with each other--another reason why it's so hard to figure out who will win.

Rest assured, this will go down as the most anticipated Finals in ten years. And for once people will be watching.

The Doozy Returns, Clinches The West

Despite promises from the other half of the Boozy, we have not provided any preview for the Western Conference Finals. So instead the Doozy triumphantly returns with the sixth straight post from our version of The Man. Me. And since the Lakers are already leading 3-1 going into today's game 5, there's little reason to go on with a preview or any overview of the series so far. If the Spurs come back from a 1-3 deficit, then color me surprised.

That being said, the Spurs certainly have the potential to win three games in a row. It isn't common by any stretch, but teams have returned from a 1-3 hole in the conference finals to win it all, so there is a precedent. (And since I did no research to back that claim up, I can only pray that I'm right about that. Prove me wrong if I am.) And this Spurs team can do just that, make a big comeback, especially if the Lakers slip up at home tonight. So let's break down how both sides can win the series, starting with the obvious:

1) How can the Lakers win the series?

Let's see... Well... Don't change anything, doofus. If you're the Lakers, you got three wins going into game 5 at home, you got Kobe playing at a completely different plane than everybody else right now, and you got role players making key contributions when they're supposed to. It would take a sizable collapse by the Lakers to screw this up. So far, they've been able to stop the Spurs at the height of their game, most notably in game 1 when the Spurs had a 20-point lead in the middle of the third quarter. Since that fourth quarter of game 1, the Lakers have outplayed the Spurs in the Conference Finals for nearly the entire time, messing up only once in Game 3 in a match that the Spurs were supposed to win anyway. So as long as the Lakers show up to play, they will win the series. They have three chances to win it, for crying out loud.

2) How can the Spurs win the series?

Resurrect Robert Horry's corpse.

Just kidding. Kind of.

The Spurs have a golden opportunity to take game 5 as long as they play hard and commit close to zero mistakes. The Spurs will have to count on the Lakers' young guys taking it easy with the two-game cushion and using that to their advantage, roughing the other guys up and shocking them right from the get-go. Manu Ginobili will no doubt need to show up and play his best game of the playoffs. And the role players coming off the bench--Brent Barry, Jacque Vaughn, Michael Finley (if he's not starting), and yes, the corpse of Robert Horry--all have to make big plays to hold off Kobe and the Kobettes. If there's a combination of Laker youngin's snoozing and Spurs role guys making big stops and bigger scores, then we'll see a game 6 in San Antonio. But the chances of that happening are slim. The Lakers are just too good.

Our coverage of the playoffs will conclude with our NBA Finals preview. We'll handle what happens after the Finals when we come back to talk about the 2008 NBA Draft.

Before I end the post, I also wanted to say some things about the Eastern Conference Finals...

Awesome series. If it wasn't enough to see some old Pistons-Celtics clips from the eighties (my favorite is the one where Larry Bird whips the ball at Bill Laimbeer's face between plays), we're seeing a couple of games (game 5 especially) where all the big guys from both teams are playing on all cylinders. Sprinkle some unexpected big games from role guys (Antonio McDyess in game 4 and Kendrick Perkins in game 5) and you have an amazing Conference Finals. Can anybody see this not going to a game seven? I can't. I'm hoping this series goes down to the wire, and whoever comes out on top will whup the Lakers in the NBA Finals (knocking on wood). Can you feel it?

PLAYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSSS!!!

The Boozy on The Shootout And A Preview of The Eastern Conference Finals

First of all, kudos to The Boozy for coming up with the longest blog title we've ever had. Much Kudos. As the playoffs have gone on, the matchups have been getting better and better down the stretch. That shouldn't seem weird, right? But let's consider last year, where the best series were in the first two rounds (remember Warriors v. Mavs? Oh, the memories... frickin' Nuggets...) and culminated with a stellar Western Conference championship between the most entertaining team in the league (The Suns) and the team of the decade (The Spurs) that trumped both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. Compared to last year's bizarre playoffs, this one seems right down to earth. We had all of the top seeds going into the semis, with few surprises (keep in mind home teams should always win, so I never thought that 25-3 home record was weird), leading to what we expected--every team, minus the Magic, playing some of the best basketball in the league over the course of six or seven games. Now in the conference championships, we have the best four teams in the league, hands down, going at it with each team having a real chance to win a ring.

And this is the best and most exciting part--the Eastern Conference is the heavy favorite to win the NBA Finals, based on the regular season record. While the Lakers are red hot and the Spurs are the defending champs, the top two teams from the regular season are actually in the East! This hasn't happened since Michael Jordan was in a Bulls uniform. I'm so happy right now I could cry. It's better than crying about that impossible Pau Gasol trade. I still hate you, Chris Wallace!!!

Let me take you back in time to the fall of 2003. This was my (and the other side of the Boozy's) first year in college and I didn't want anything to do with the NBA. Instead of watching the NBA I spent my free time drinking, studying and drinking some more, occasionally interacting with women. Wait, I forgot about my Nintendo Gamecube. But I digress. Let's face it, it got boring for easterners. The past champs at that point (since 1999) were either the Lakers or the Spurs, while the east turned into a complete joke of a conference. The teams that came out of the east were either flashy and too undersized to take on either the Lakers or the Spurs (like, say, the 2001 Sixers) or bland, boring, and too slow to handle any Western Conference team (like the 2002 Nets). Then all of a sudden, it got better. The Pistons won the title in 2004, causing me to halt all forthcoming drinking binges and hoochies and once again became obsessed with the game, with the Pistons being my team. Now it's 2008 and it has come full circle. The teams in the Eastern Conference Finals are just as good, if not better, than their western counterparts. It's been a long time coming.

I still want to hit my head on the drywall at the thought of another Spurs/Lakers series, but I'll take on that series tomorrow. For now we'll focus on tonight's Game 1 between The Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics.

It's hard for me to get into this series because I'm still recovering from Game 7 of the Cavs/Celts series. Literally. During the course of the game I finished off the last of our Goldschlager while screaming like Paul Pierce when he stole the jump ball from LeBron James. I bruised my chest, too, from hitting myself pretending I was Kevin Garnett coming off an and-one dunk. How could I resist? It was one of the most incredible games I have ever seen since I've been old enough to appreciate this sort of performance. If you believe what KG said about the series being "two heavyweights exchanging body blows" then game 7 was a microcosm of what was going on in the series. It was a classic shootout between two great players, something that only comes around so often. The only thing more astounding than the 40+ points that Bron and Truth scored was the fact that they were scoring in each other's faces. This game, about three minutes into it, went from Celtics v. Cavs to Pierce v. James. Incredible. Even though I'm a Celtics fan and I'm glad they won, I would've said the same thing had they lost, concluding that it's tough to win when LeBron is being LeBron. But the Celtics move on, and it's up to Pierce to carry his momentum to the next series and bring the rest of the C's with him.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, it's time for a breakdown of the Eastern Conference Finals. In the Cavs/Celts series, the key matchup was between Paul Pierce and LeBron James. In the Conference Finals, it's going to be--no, not Chauncey Billups and Rajon Rondo, but KG and Rasheed Wallace.

Here's a visual approximation for KG...

And one for Sheed...


Nice.

The reason it's so big is because these guys are mirror images of each other. They're big guys, they love to shoot the jumpers, and their performance is determined by their emotional levels (i.e. they play better angry). They also serve as the emotional center for their respective clubs--if they're fired up, the rest of their team will follow suit. I'm expecting a flurry of double technicals given out over the series, and for all different reasons--too much trash talking, too many in-your-face encounters, and hard pushing--and all of them going to KG and Sheed. So to sum this series up in one word, it'll be about emotion.

But the matchup everybody's talking about is between Billups and Rondo. Billups is the taller and stronger of the two, but Rondo has the speed to drive to the hoop every time, leading to layups or assists. If Billups can play solid, make his shots, and fight through his recent hamstring injury, then he'll be able to offset his speed disadvantage. And these two issues for Detroit--Rondo and KG--can be neutralized, and they probably won't have to worry too much about Kendrick Perkins.

Tayshaun Prince, however, will have his hands full with Paul Pierce. Tayshaun has the additional problem of being cold after days off from competitive balling while Pierce will still be hot and fired up from his game 7 performance in the last series. Prince is a great shot blocker, but it won't do much if Pierce blows right by him with his superior footwork. But as we've seen in Atlanta and Cleveland, the Celtics tend to overlook the obvious mismatch and if they don't, then hopefully the Pistons won't have to worry about this matchup.

My favorite matchup, and Detroit's greatest advantage, is between Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen. This is a UConn fan's dream, a matchup between the leaders of two extraordinary Husky teams, with Ray a part of the 1996 Big East champs and Rip a part of the 1999 National Champs. But Ray's career might be on the down slope while Rip is chugging through his prime. Hamilton will be able to outrun, outgun, and outplay Allen as Ray seems to be losing his shot over the course of a very long postseason for him--the longest one he's ever had. In my opinion this will be the matchup we will see the most substitutions on--with Eddie House and Tony Allen filling in for Ray's tender ankles.

How will the Pistons win the series? It will take four A games for both Billups and Hamilton to pull it off. The Pistons will also need to rely on Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell when it counts--they'll have their moments when KG leaves the game and the Pistons switch to a bigger lineup. McDyess is known for his mid-range jumpers. If he can get those to sink in, and if Billups and Hamilton can deliver, then the series should be over in five or six games, depending on how many games they can steal on the road.

How will the Celtics win the series? Ray needs to show up. It's as simple as that. The Celt's favorite go-to three-point scorer needs to appear in the big games for once in the playoffs and drop somewhere between 15 and 25 points a game to be a significant threat. He can only defer to KG or Pierce so many times until he has to become The Man. In my opinion, he's overdue for a breakout series, and this might be the one. Also, Glen Davis needs to have the same sort of games like the one he had against the Pistons earlier this year where he dropped 20 big ones. Big Baby has exploited the Pistons' weak post defense once before and has the capacity to do it again. And while Pierce will be good this series, KG will have to be better than him if Garnett is going to take on Sheed. A KG and Sheed shootout? Now that would be one for the ages. On top of everything else, the C's need to figure out how to win on the road. The Pistons play the same regardless of which court they're on, and if they steal one in Boston then it's lights out for the C's. For the Celtics to win, there has to be a game seven. And like a good game from Ray, a road victory is way overdue for the Celts.

With game one already starting, it's time to see how wrong I really am with this blog. Tomorrow I'll break down the west, and who knows, maybe I'll divulge something else about my college years, like where I was the last time there was a Spurs/Lakers conference finals. Oh, the horror...

The Boozy on The Semis

Nobody could have predicted round one. Nobody. I can't even look at my past blog entries because they are so wrong. However that's the beauty of the postseason. If we knew what was going on, we wouldn't watch. But I'd like to think I had at least an inkling of what was up, seeing how I watched a ton of games on the league pass this season. Nope. Doesn't matter. This season is a completely different beast, and the postseason is proving to be better than the last. In my opinion, the top five shockers in the first round were:

5. Cleveland wins round six at Washington to finish the series. Remember how I predicted the series would go to seven? I thought that Gilbert Arenas would make the Wizards a much better offensive group, but he seemed to have an inverse effect--he became a liability on defense. Eddie Jordan wisely kept him out of game five for that reason, leading to a rout of the Cavs at home. But Gil came back for game six because the Wiz needed to try something--anything--to fight off LeBron. They couldn't do it. And the result was an unexpected road win for the Cavaliers, even though they would have pounded the Wiz in game seven if they had to play one. I knew the Cavs would win the series, but not like how it played out. Wow.

4. The Lakers sweep Denver. I counted on the Nuggets winning two. Then they lost game three, and I gave them one win. Then they lost game four, which led to me punching a hole in the wall at the thought of the Lakers returning to the NBA Finals. This bodes extremely well for the Lakers, as that sweep gives them great momentum for the series against the Jazz, which has a better defense than Denver, though that doesn't say much. Plus I believe that the team that sweeps in the first round should be the team most likely to head to the finals--hence, the hole in the wall.

3. Dallas gets whupped by New Orleans. It makes sense now, seeing how the Hornets are handling the Spurs pretty well at this moment, but nobody believed that the Mavs would fall like they did against New Orleans. And the reason the Hornets won the series is far too obvious--Jason Kidd didn't match up well with the faster, more athletic Chris Paul. We also can't forget that the acquisition of Kidd came at the price of DeSagana Diop, a player who could at least post up well against Tyson Chandler and New Orlean's other big boys. Seeing as the 2008 NBA playoffs are being defined by great defenses, the weakened defense of the Mavs has no place here. I feel bad for Dirk Nowitzki after being knocked out of the first round for the second time in a row. At least Avery Johnson took all the blame (and good riddance. All hail the Rick Carlisle era!!!).

2. San Antonio beats Phoenix in the playoffs... AGAIN. Another Spurs-Suns series, this time in the first round, and again ending with the Spurs moving on. So why is this at number two? The big surprise here is that it happened despite the Suns picking up Shaq the Spurs Killer. But Shaquille O'Neal was clearly not enough of an addition to the defense as the old problems stuck around. Steve Nash, Raja Bell and Amare Stoudamire remain liabilities on the defensive end, and the better defenders, Shaq and Boris Diaw, didn't make a big enough impact on offense. If anything, this was the undoing of the high-flying Suns of the past few seasons and the beginning of a hopefully more balanced era. In fact the beginning of that era began with the Shaq trade and will continue in the offseason, regardless if Mike D'Antoni is there or not. But this was the warning sign that something has to change in Phoenix. Let's hope it does.

1. Atlanta takes Boston to seven games. It wasn't because nobody believed in the Hawks and it wasn't the fact it was the best record playing against the worst record in the playoffs. It was everybody--including every talking head on television and radio--overlooking the series altogether. That's why the series was so shocking. The other series seemed so much more interesting than this one, until Atlanta won that game four and people started talking about this series and how this made the Celtics mortal. The truth is that the Celtics couldn't match up well with the young, athletic, high-flying Hawks, especially when Atlanta was at home and making their shots. I also get the feeling that the Celtics were taking it easy on the road, resting up for the next home-game blowout. I wouldn't be surprised now if the C's lose all of their road games. They can if they want to, seeing as they get home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Well, if that's the strategy, then I don't get it. Let's put this series in the "fluky" pile.

(That series also had some eery similarities to the first Rocky movie. Just think of Atlanta as the Italian Stallion going the distance against the number-one fighter/team, who like Apollo Creed knows how to strut around and talk trash like they're the best. And just like Rocky, Atlanta came out of nowhere to do it. No, they didn't win, but damn did they go the distance.)

Now for some tidbits about round two. First of all, I'll give you a heads up--I believe round two will play out like round one with the top seeds all moving on. Nothing has shown me the contrary, no matter how hard I wish for it.

Celtics v. Cavs
As Boston proved tonight, there's no place for the Cavs offense to go if they can cut off LeBron's path to the basket. If anything, this series has exploited the obvious flaw in the Cleveland offense and I hope this leads to a coaching change in Cleveland if they end up losing the series. Like Charles Barkley says on the TNT broadcast, they should be finishing plays with LeBron and not starting with him attacking and dishing out. But as much as I think Cleveland is screwed in the series, Boston still hasn't won a game on the road, so I can definitely see this going to seven games, with Boston moving on thanks to the home court advantage.

Pistons v. Magic
Okay, the Magic won game three and Chauncey Billups is out. But Rashard Lewis, in my opinion, had his career high the other night and it's going to stay that way. The Magic's scoring percentages will go down in game four, so I expect a closer game four, even if Billups is a no show. But the sudden hamstring injury means at least one game with Rodney Stuckey, which means two out of the big three will need to step up--which they will. I expect a big game from Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, as well as another great night for Jason Maxiell. But I can also see this series going to seven, regardless of Billup's presence. In the end, however, the Pistons will prevail after Rashard comes down from his high and Maxiell stops Dwight Howard.

Lakers v. Jazz
Please, Utah, don't let this be a sweep. It's painfully clear that the Lakers are the better team--everyone on the Lakers matches up well or better than their Jazz counterparts--as well as far more athletic and aggressive. Carlos Boozer has been a no-show, which I'm sure will change in game three, and Deron Williams has been forced to carry the team, something he shouldn't have to do with Boozer on the court. I also expect Mehmet Okur to make his perimeter shots at home, since he couldn't do it well in LA and I subscribe to the "overdue theory." (I'll explain this theory in another blog.) All in all, the Jazz will make their jump shots in Utah, something they struggled with in the first two games. But let's face it, the Lakers are a better team and will end this in six or less. I hate to say it, but Kobe is finally showing shades of Michael Jordan in his last few games. Grr....

Hornets v. Spurs
On paper, the Spurs should be the better team, but haven't found a way to stop the Hornets at home. That's a bad thing, considering they're the lower seed and need a road win to control the series. Chris Paul is simply too good of a team leader for the Spurs and can change the offensive plan on the fly. CP3 has the ability to give himself a ton of options no matter where he is on the court, and as long as Bonzi Wells can make his jumpers, they're all good options. Though game three is still going on, and even though the Spurs won tonight, I still see the Hornets pulling the upset on the reigning NBA champs just because they seem unstoppable at home. I can definitely see this going to seven games, with hopefully a couple of overtimes to boot.

Oh, and I'm not surprised that Kobe is the MVP, but I am a little bit disappointed. KG just seems so much more valuable to his team. But I will say that Kobe is... sigh... the best player in the league.

**Punching another hole in the wall**

The Boozy On Round One (So Far)

Hoo boy! So far, everything has been pretty predictable in the first round. The only exception, of course, is the game one shocker in Detroit where the Sixers managed to out-hustle the dead-in-the-water Pistons. But as we saw last night, Detroit has woken up from its slumber and has more than enough in the tank to take down Philly in three more games, possibly in straight succession. The Boozy will take a look at this and all the other series so far in this blog. We will be making some changes to our previous decisions, which we will mark in bold.

(I suppose you could count Utah's two road wins in Houston to be surprising, but come on. It's the Jazz. And they're the McGrady Rockets. Everybody saw that coming.)

As for the MVP race...

I'm still calling KG as my MVP choice, but it's painfully clear that Kobe will get the trophy now. His 49-point performance last night should seal the deal for people who haven't seen him in the regular season, where he was just as good. Still, I don't think he has made any improvements in his game that separate the 2008 Kobe apart from the 2007 or 2006 Kobe--so why give him the MVP award now? Is it really because he happens to have better players with him this season and they're now #1 in the West? I don't think that's a good reason for anybody to be MVP. Give me a guy who alters a franchise's destiny just by being there. Give me KG.

Speaking of KG, let's get to the Celtics and all of the first-round match-ups so far:

Celtics Lead The Hawks (2-0)
Prior to game one, I predicted a 102-82 victory for Boston. I was damn close. Boston did slightly better than my prediction, killing the Hawks 104-81. The highlight of that game has to be Leon Powe hitting an and-one dunk in the second half leading to KG and Sam Cassell pummeling Powe after he hit the ground on the dunk. The C's love it when their young guys make tough plays like that. The support the Celts give their young guys is like nothing I've ever seen before on an NBA team. It's crazy. And I see no signs of the Hawks winning a single game after a nearly 20-point loss in game two. Boston has proved that they can adjust on-the-fly to anything Atlanta tries to pull, not to mention pull all of the Hawks defenders into foul trouble. If you're a Hawks fan, this has to be painful. My last prediction stands.

And in conclusion... Bibby's an idiot.

Pistons Tied With The Sixers (1-1)
The Pistons fell asleep in game one. Rip was nowhere to be found, missing what seemed to be every single layup he attempted. Sheed missed the easy bucket late in the game. Mr. Big Shot took surprisingly few big shots. But now... the Pistons are awake. And when you wake the big dog, prepare to be bit. The Pistons' 105-88 thrashing of the Sixers proved just that. I can see Detroit winning three more straight, as I mentioned before, so I'm keeping my previous prediction.

Magic Lead The Raptors (2-0)
Put this one in the "I Told You So" file. Nobody on the Raptors can answer to Dwight Howard... in fact, very few players in the league can take on Superman. The result? Two 20-20 games for Howard. I'm keeping my prediction from last time on the same principles, with Toronto winning one on their home court thanks to their rabid fanbase cheering them on.

Cavs lead the Wizards (2-0)
Can Washington win two on their home court? You betcha. I know last season the Cavs won two straight playoff games on the road against Washington, resulting in a four-game sweep, but this Wizards team is better. Gilbert Arenas, despite his bad game two, should be in better shape with the extra resting time. Let's not forget that Caron Butler plays out of his mind when he's at home as well. I see the fans playing a big role in these games, carrying their teams to home wins, leading to a decisive game seven where, again, the home team will win in Cleveland.

Lakers Lead The Nuggets (2-0)
The decision is not whether or not the Lakers will beat the Nuggets, but in how many games will the Nugs lose. I'll keep it at five, just because the Mile High Stadium has a way of giving Denver a bit of an advantage with the less oxygen. But that's their one game. Kobe's on a roll, and the Nuggets defense isn't necessarily fit to take on the superstars of the league. Ditto for defending Pau Gasol. The Nuggets defense can only pick which player will have a monster game against them--Pau or Kobe. God I wish the Lakers had the Warriors right now.

Hornets Lead The Mavs (2-0)
Totally wrong about this series. I underestimated the impact Chris Paul would have--nobody can stop him, especially Jason "Why Did We Trade For Him Again?" Kidd. With Kidd's atrocious contract, the Mavs are going to have a hard time building the team up for next season. As for this season, forget it. The Hornets are dominating on both sides of the board, stuffing Dirk at every possible moment, and overall out-hustling Dallas. And if CP3 keeps improving at the same pace as between the first two games, we'll be seeing a quadruple-double by game five. Wowzers. Hornets in five.

Spurs Lead The Suns (2-0)
I don't think the Suns are in as bad a position as they seem to be. After losing a double-overtime thriller in game one, they lost a pretty one-sided game two. However they have proven they can go the distance with the defending champs in both first halves, taking the lead at halftime in both games. It's up to Mike D'Antoni to out-coach Greg Popovich and adjust to his adjustments. I feel like this will play out in the Sun's favor when they play the next two at home. In fact, I see this series going much like my prediction for the Cavs/Wiz series--home wins for six games leading to a decisive seventh. I still think the Spurs will get their comeuppance.

Utah Leads The Rockets (2-0)
McGrady can't possibly think that he can carry this team on his back for the entire series. He already admitted that he gets tired from playing so many minutes and needs a little assistance. I just wish Rick Adelman would rest him, just a little bit, and let the rest of the team pick up the slack. I guess that would be a good plan if the rest of the team showed up to play. So that's the catch. McGrady is forced to play to exhaustion while the Jazz run circles around them. Slight change in my prediction. Jazz in four.