H-U-G-E Victory

I'll be honest folks, I was so upset I had to turn the channel a few times in the first half....and a once in the second. I was maintaining hope right up until the point where they got down by 20....TWENTY to the defending champs.

With that said I think we would all agree, whether you're a Spurs fan or Lakers fan, that Kobe was going to go and do something pretty amazing...you just knew it. My thinking coming into this game was that the Spurs would be worn out and lack energy. Boy was I wrong - they came out with a fury of energy and big plays and the Lakers looked almost as if they were content to just work out the rust while getting routed. Strange game for sure.

You gotta wonder how this will affect the Spurs. I am a big believer in the emotional toll that losing a game like this can take, but few teams can handle that as well as the Spurs. The only time I've really seen these guys lose composure after a gut-wrenching loss was when Fisher hit that game-winner in game 3 of the series back in 2004 - Spurs were up 2-0 and proceeded to lose 4 straight.

The good news for San Antone is the way these playoffs have gone they almost expect to lose the road games - they had this one and definitely should have won it and that hurts, but this would be a completely different story had it been in San Antone. They'll be fine. I also happen to believe that this series will see the visiting team win at least one game each so should be an interesting series - isn't it always with these guys?

A few thoughts for Game 2:

• Kobe Bryant is unreal and I'll repeat what I said in my prediction - I just don't think he'll let this team lose this series. BUT, I'd like to see him get more involved in the early going - I 100% understand what he's doing and I like it, but he was waaaay too passive in game 1
• I'm not sure if he's injured, but Ginobli does not look like himself - maybe it's fatigue or injury or what, but he is the X-factor in my mind - Kobe can certainly contain him on defense, but you don't want him expending too much energy chasing that little dude around. Either way, he had a bad night.
  
• A positive for the Lakers - I can't imagine Odom or Fisher playing as poorly as they did throughout this series - especially Odom. MAKE A LAYUP!
  
• I think one of the key things that got LA off of their game was the fact that they shot a fraction of the free throws that they were accustomed to shooting in the first two series. I swear Kobe averaged about 13-14 points in free throws alone I think he shot less than 10 the other night. They'll have to get used to that because the Spurs are one of the best teams in fouls (they commit very few) whereas the Jazz were at the bottom of the league. That really is a big deal.
  
• Is it me or did Duncan secretly have about 56 points and they just put him down for 30? That dude has been making that 8 foot jumper off the glass for what seems like 3 decades now. I had no illusions about the fact that Gasol/Turiaf were going to shut him down, but man he was on. He missed 3 straight free throws at one point in the second quarter and then I don't think he missed the rest of the way - that's good for a very average free throw shooter (average is being nice).
• Pretty decently officiated game - some bad calls, but definitely had them going both ways. I thought it was pretty good.

Game 2 Prediction:
Lakers - 108
Spurs - 95

Quick Notes on Draft:

• You think D'Antoni wishes he would have taken that Chicago job now? Oh wait, that's right, THEY NEVER OFFERED HIM THE JOB!!! Nice to see those idiots still couldn't find their ass if there was a bell attached to it. They had better figure their roster out pretty damn quick because they've got a couple of free agents in Deng and Gordon that they need to shore up.
  
• I can't imagine Miami NOT taking Beasley - it would have to a very, VERY attractive offer to trade that down. You've got Wade and Marion as a good nucleus - get a big body in there.
  
• Bust alert - OJ Mayo will never come close to living up to his hype in the NBA. Never.
  

That's it gang - enjoy the Pistons/Celtics tonight.....I'm going with Detroit in this one.

And Then There Were Four

I will apologize now and apologize in advance for my inconsistent updating these days - lots going on in the world of Bearden on the home and work front, but if anyone can handle it I know you can.

This is going to be an all-NBA edition because really, what the hell else is going on?

Conference Semis Recap:

• I really had this feeling that Lebron was going to pull the upset against the Celtics - here's a little secret, that dude is for real. 45 points...in Boston.
  
• I wonder if Boston can keep up another 7 game series much less a likely lengthy series against either the Spurs or Lakers...I just don't see it happening.
  
• I gave my Lakers zero, ZERO chance of winning game 6 in Utah - unreal. No way they win an OT game there in Salt Lake. Great game.
  
• Composure - at the end of the day the Hornets/Spurs game came down to who could maintain composure down the stretch and San Antone looked as if they were just playing another regular season game and New Orleans crumbled. No shame though for the Hornets - they'll be back.
  

Celtics vs. Pistons:
I know this is what we were all expecting, but man, who expected the paths these guys had to take? Boston seemed to struggle against "lesser" competition (yes, Lebron is phenomenal, but the Cavs suck). The Eastern Conference can be compared with the West in the sense that there seems to be a lot of parity, although it may be at a slightly lesser level than the West, but not by much.

I think I picked the Pistons to go to the Finals and I'm sticking with that. Detroit has lost at home in the playoffs, but they've also won quite a few road games including in Orlando without Billups - that may prove to be the deciding factor.

I don't think Detroit HAS to win game 1 like I've heard some say, but it would certainly knock Boston off their rocker in such a way they may not recover. But, even if they can play a close/tough game it's a plus - it's a long series and no one expected a sweep in either direction.

UPDATE NOTE: Since I've come back to the blog after a couple of hour hiatus the game has sense ended. Close game with the Pistons obviously playing a bit rusty - they have been resting. Billups is really the key here - he absolutely has to step up and play through this injury as it will likely not get better until he stays off of it for a long period of time. Aside from the 3rd quarter where Detroit clearly let it get away, they were within a point or two either way. Certainly not a loss to take the wind out of your sales - I think they can fix a lot of the issues by simply getting back into playing real games after several days off.

Spurs vs. Lakers:
I cannot tell a lie - as a Laker fan I was really hoping to get New Orleans. I know LA plays really well against San Antone (including in the Alamo City), but I just don't know...I was thrilled to see LA close out Utah while San Antone needed to force a game 7 - I think that added rest will make a difference.

Unfortunately I think San Antone matches up better with the Lakers than they did with New Orleans. Parker won't have to work near as hard on either end of the floor with Fisher compared with Chris freaking Paul. We'll see if Gasol can step up and play some solid defense on Duncan - all we need you to do Pau is contain him. Bruce Bowen vs. Kobe is always an interesting match up - at least in the past, but Bowen's another year older and Kobe is at his peek. Bowen will certainly be the best defender he has faced, but I think Kobe can keep hiim in foul trouble most of the series (at least the games in LA).

Obviously this is an experienced Spurs team going for their 5th championship in 9 years and second in a row and that's what scares me the most. I do think the Lakers are slightly more talented top to bottom and definitely deeper, but the Spurs have something to prove by repeating. AND, they just won a game 7 on the road in a year when NO ONE is winning on the road.

I'm going Lakers in 7 here, but I'm not 100% confident in that pick. I'm taking Kobe, Gasol, Odom and Fisher over Duncan, Parker, Ginobli and Bowen. Lakers role players have to knock down the 3s and if Farmar actually makes it into the game he's got to do something and do it now. At the end of the day it comes down to who's going to put the team on their back and carry them to victory - I just don't see Kobe losing the series. But they are the Spurs....

American Idol Update:
Oh yea, last competition was tonight - final 2. I just gotta say this - David Archuleta definitely has a flawless voice, the best on the show. He's a HORRIBLE performer and he's proven he can do one thing only - sappy "Michael Bolton" songs. Literally, that's all he can do.

David Cook has far more talent, "pound for pound". When he gets up, you can't wait to hear what he's going to do. When Archuleta gets up you know exactly what you're going to get - it's good and consistent, but you know what you're going to get.

Side note here - one of the most ridiculous, lame things about this show is the fact that in the final pairing, they each sing 3 songs, they can pick (and almost always do) a song they've already performed earlier in the season. I've always hated that. Cook bucked that trend and then punked (in a nice way) Simon for suggesting he should have. Nice.

Anyway, I fully expect Archuleta to win, especially after that love fest that Simon and Randy poured on (no, no, they aren't trying to sway voters) - he's got a larger demographic following I imagine and most of them are under the age of 17. I do think it's probably better to get second place as I imagine you have more freedom to sign with whom you want to. Who knows....or cares.

David Cook probably my favorite contestant since I've watched the show. He'll make his money.

Classic The Office finale....classic.

Sorry for the overly-long Idol recap, but it's finale season man.