Ignore It Like Kobe

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That game got physical real fast. I didn’t expect Paul Pierce to be the initiator, but whatever works (or doesn’t, in this case). Boston looked to try to duplicate past successes against Los Angeles by being tougher, both physically and mentally. They proved neither in last night’s game, but by all rights still may in the approaching games.

My Machines are Oiled

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With about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, backup guard Shannon Brown for the Los Angeles Lakers jogged up the court, saw a partially open lane, and took off. He leapt with the intent to do harm. He was trying to suck the gravity out of the building.

He nearly jumped over a cowering Jason Richardson who was called for a block. He missed the dunk, his fingers just edging the rim/net. However, he made everybody stand up out of his or her seats in amazement. That was the kind of night the Lakers were having, even their misses were spectacular.

Yeah

This seems right.

AP Photo/Alex Gallardo

Champ’s Power Rankings: Week 5

give it time Brandon Jennings.

  

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Champ is sure that the Lakers are glad that Pau Gasol’s injury hasn’t kept him out until Christmas. Sure the Suns have more road wins, but a 19 point rout  by the Lakers earns them the top spot this week, again. A good early home schedule and wins against teams like the pathetic Nets leave LA looking good early.

2. Phoenix Suns: The Pacific Division certainly looks good this year. First team to 14 wins? Impressive. With Steve Nash dishing out double digit assist nights and the team scoring in triple figures, the Suns are winning ball games.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Lights out shooting against the Top-10 Dallas Mavericks cancels out the ugly loss despite a late comeback against the Charlotte Bobcats. Undefeated when the team scores 100, the Cavaliers are slowly clicking.

Champ’s Power Rankings: Week 3

the kid can play

1. Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets keep winning, in the West. Carmelo looks like he’s playing with more determination than ever, second in the league in scoring, the team is winning on the road, and J.R. Smith has had a hot return off of his seven game suspension, possibly due to his desire to be called by his real first name: Earl. The Nuggets’ ascent is surely helped by the Lakers’ current slump, but for now the Nuggets are enjoying their time as the Western Conference’s best team.

2. Atlanta Hawks: The Ivy Leaguer is a prophet, the Hawks have raced to an early 8-2 record. They have beaten both the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic, does a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers earn them a spot in the Eastern Conference elite?

3. Phoenix Suns: The Suns sit at the three position this week. With a very respectable record of 9-2, with losses coming to the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers (last year’s NBA Finals) both played on the second game of back-to-back series, the Suns still impress the Champ.

Champ’s Power Rankings: Week 2

 

 

Week Two showed the Beast in Chris Paul, however the Hornets still struggled.

 

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers played without Bynum and Gasol last night and still resulted in victory. The Lakers are the top dogs in the league right now. No questions about it. Lamar Odum also translated well into his role on Keeping up with the Kardashians.

2. Boston Celtics: A slip up against the now formidable Phoenix Suns lost some credibility as well as the near win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves cost the C’s to slip to #2 in my rankings. However, they still head their own conference and very well could earn homecourt advantage, minus any major injuries.

3. Phoenix Suns: Surprised? Maybe a little but the Suns are the hot team in the league for now. You forget this team has Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and Jason Richardson. As well as a rejuivenated Grant Hill and an up-and-coming Channing Frye. Will they stay at three? Probably not, but this is Week Two.

Champ’s Power Rankings: Week One

The 2009-2010 season has been one of immense scoring, and tremendous excitement.

1. Boston Celtics: I am no fool. The Celtics are legit, at this point in time the C’s are  the best team in the league. Their offense is clicking, Rasheed Wallace looks more like a contestant for the All Star Weekend NBA 3 Point Contest, rather than the Sixth Man of the Year. Rondo got his extension, a safe move to protect young talent on an aging team. Things are working out in Boston, and as of week one, no team can touch them.

2. Orlando Magic: Just ask The Octagon, the Magic are very potent. The depth of this Magic Team is simply incredible. Their scoring recalls the glory days of the Phoenix Suns under Mike D’Antoni. Just think with J.J. (Get me a record deal!) Reddick scoring 27 points in the absence of Vince Carter, as well as Rashard Lewis’ suspension and Pietrus’ injury the Orlando Magic offense firing on all cylinders is truly scary.

3. Los Angeles Lakers: I can’t bring myself to rank the Lakers any lower than third, they are: 1. still the best team substantially in the Western Conference 2. temporarily lacking the frontcourt depth that Pau Gasol brings and 3. they are the Los Angeles Lakers, the same Lakers that have won 15 NBA titles, brought in guys like Gasol and Ron Artest, and will continue to do anything to win Kobe another ring.

Paints in the Fantasy Draft

So the teams have been drafted for the 2009-2010 Fantasy Draft and here are the rosters.

Turtle Power

As I watched one of my favorite childhood movies recently (the live action TMNT), I was reminded of the importance of teamwork and cohesion amongst a group. This spurred my focus onto the game of basketball and the remarking similarity between the mutated turtles and one basketball team in particular: the Los Angeles Lakers.

 The classic characters each have their real counterparts in the form of large, athletic basketball players. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Splinter, and Casey Jones each parallel a current player/coach for the Lakers (not including the unsigned Lamar Odom).

The Success Recipe

Most teams around the Association have enacted the same process for going about building a team that has a great chance of winning games. They use the same basic outline and then add a few spices to the mix in order to attain the ultimate glory.

The International Game

The game of basketball is an international affair, and has been so for quite some time now. It was no more apparent than at the 2004 Olympics when the United States failed to bring home the gold. The foreigners have invaded the Association and added some new flavors to the basketball soup.

I personally blame the influx of foreign ballers on Toni Kukoc. Before Kukoc broke into the league on Jordan’s Bulls, a foreign player was very alien to the Association and its many fans (sans Hakeem Olajuwon). He would lie low for a few years until his Airness’ retirement after the ’93 championship. He would then take center stage, playing Robin to Scottie Pippen’s Batman. That was until the playoffs however, when Jedi Phil Jackson designed a play at the end of a game where Kukoc, not Pippen, would take the game winning shot. Instead of complying, Pippen remained seated on the bench while Kukoc subsequently took and made said shot and won the game for the Bulls. Toni would stay on the Bulls until after they won their second Three-peat, when he would leave to bounce around the league until his retirement.

Cupid’s Couples

Sometimes in the Association, two players will meet at one junction or another on a team and true chemistry will form. These are the top 12 pairs of players in the league right now, duos that complement each other’s capabilities on the court.

One More for Kobe

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, curtain call for the NBA Finals and guess who ended up with all the marbles.

A Beautiful Sight

Every so often, something more magical than a unicorn can be witnessed gracing the court at NBA arenas. I’m talking about facial hair. This list comprises some of the most fantastic facial furniture ever to grace the game.