INTERGRITY PROBLEM?

Oh my, this piece came from “TRUTH AND RUMORS” section of CNNSI.COM. This is something worth reading.

“The NBA has an integrity problem, as shrill and annoying as a referee's whistle. If the competitors don't trust the truth in the final score, why should we? Did the Nuggets lose to the Los Angeles Lakers 103-94, or were they robbed by referees who gave favorable calls to a marquee franchise that pumps up television ratings? Does the league want to see superstar Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals rather than the tattooed bad boys of Denver? In an accusation that goes straight to the heart of the sport's integrity, one member of the Nuggets shook his head in disgust after the game, and could not believe how cheap it was for Los Angeles to buy a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals. "The Lakers paid $50,000 to win that game. They got their money's worth," said a Denver player, not wanting to be identified for fear of retribution from the league.”

SUN RISES IN JAPAN

If you think that Houston Rockets superstar center Yao Ming is the tallest pro basketball player from China, you better think again. 7-9 Sun Mingming took the Japan Pro Basketball League by storm this past campaign. The 25 year-old Bayan, China native is coming off from his most successful season in his young pro career.

Sun averaged 7.7 ppg and 5.71 rpg in 49 outings as he led Hamamatsu Phoenix to the top of the Eastern Conference of the JBL. He is also saw action in the JBL all-star game and had compiled the most number of dunks in the 2008-09 season with a total of 67 slams. Obviously, he is taking his career to another level. “I just want to keep playing basketball. Whether it's here in Japan or in the United States, I hope to keep playing for at least 10 more years" Sun quipped.

Before joining the JBL this past season, Sun saw action in several US minor leagues toiling the United States Basketball League (USBL) with the Dodge City Legends, the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Maryland Nighthawks and the International Basketball League (IBL) with the Grand Rapids Flight. He also had a stint with the Fuerza Regia club in the Mexican Pro League. He failed a Los Angeles Lakers tryout in 2005.

Not everyone knows that Sun suffered from a benign brain tumor which pressed his pituitary gland. The said tumor was the primary reason of his unstoppable growth due to over production of growth hormone. The tumor was successfully removed in 2005.

With the vast improvement in his game, it will not be too long before Sun joins Yao as the centers of attraction in the NBA.

*****

Here is one for the books. In the ongoing NBA playoffs, the oldest tandem of courtside analysts on radio coverage belongs to ESPN Radio’s Jack Ramsay and Hubie Brown. Ramsay is 84 years old and Brown is 75 years old.

Both are veteran NBA coaches and are considered legends in the mentoring world. Ramsay even won 2 NBA titles with Philadelphia in 1967 as General Manager and Portland as coach in 1977. Brown, on the other hand, spent 33 years as coach in the pro league.

From all indications, the tandem is still going very strong while enjoying their current jobs and are still far away from calling it a day. That’s staying healthy and longevity at its very best.

"THE TRADE" REVISITED

On November 9, 2008, I posted an article on this blogsite about the trade that sent Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets and Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons. It was a transaction which will haunt the Motor City outfit forever. The Pistons’ failure to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs can be attributed to the lack of direction coming from the backcourt. AI was a no-show and they terribly miss the leadership which Billups consistently provided for the 2004 NBA champs.

The 33 year old Denver native led the Mile High City squad to second place over-all in the Western Conference while finishing with a strong 54-28 win-loss card while on the other hand, Iverson’s antics contributed to the anticipated downfall of the Motown five as they ended up with eight and final seed in the Eastern Conference with a woeful 39-43 slate.

The Nuggets’ surprising run in the current playoffs is really remarkable. Nobody gave them a second look when they trounced the New Orleans Hornets in the opening round, much more when they crushed the Dallas Mavericks in the West semis and of course, the ongoing nip-and-tuck series with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference finals. Billups is clearly the “heart and soul” of the team. His leadership on-and-off the court is clearly very evident on the way the Nuggets are playing in the post-season.

For Denver, “the trade” will forever be cherished and if they go on and gatecrash into the NBA finals, they only had to look back to November 2008 and really be thankful that Billups had become a Nugget once again.

*****

For all those hoping for a LeBron-Kobe face-off in the NBA finals, it may not come into reality. Instead, a Howard-Anthony clash in the Larry O’Brien series is looming in the horizon. Orlando had just taken a commanding 3-1 advantage over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Finals and are a win away from making the championship series for the first time since 1995 during the Shaq-Penny days.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are coming off from a 120-101 trashing of the Lakers that evened up the Western finals series at two games apiece. If Denver steals game five in LA then they have the chance to close out the series in game six at their home turf in Pepsi Arena. I am very sure commish David Stern is praying hard that both the Cavaliers and Lakers bounce back and win their respective series or else he had to be contented with the less-marketable Magic-Nuggets finale.

OUT OF THE CRIB

The “Big Baby” is finally out of his crib to become the man. Yes, the Boston Celtics were rescued from the deadly fangs of defeat by nipping the Orlando Magic, 95-94 yesterday to tie up their Eastern Conference semis duel at two games apiece. And the celebrated hero of the game? Nope it’s not anyone of the “Big 3” but it was no other than sophomore power forward Glenn “Big Baby” Davis. The 6-9 Baton Rouge, Louisiana native scored the last four points of the Celtics including a buzzer-beating short jumper to broke the back of the Magic.

Davis has been the revelation for the Celtics in the ongoing playoffs. In the absence of main man Kevin Garnett, he had been helping out starting pivotman Kendrick Perkins in manning the frontline for the Beantown outfit. Davis has scored in double figures in all seven games against the Chicago Bulls in the opening round and in three of the four games against Orlando. In addition to his endgame heroics in game four, Davis scored 21 big points and hauled down 6 caroms in 33 minutes of action. He was likewise a key man in defense as he hounded Magic hotshot Rashard Lewis all night long.

Davis had dramatically improved this season based on his per game averages in points, rebounds and assists as compare to his rookie year last season. In 76 games, Davis posted norms of 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 0.9 apg in 21 minutes of nightly duty as against last season’s 4.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 0.4 apg in 69 outings.

The victory is very important for the defending champions as they escape from the deep hole of being down 3-1 in the series and also took away the homecourt advantage in the series.

And from all indications, we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg as the transformation in Davis game is still far from being complete. That for sure is not good news for all Celtics oppositions.

*****

So what’s next for Chris Mullin? It’s a pity to see Mullin go after five years at the helm of the Bay City outfit as Executive Vice President for Basketball Operations. The Golden State Warriors had officially announced that there will not be a renewal upon the expiration of his contract on June 30. In short, the former St. John’s hotshot was fired from his post.

It was not too long ago when the Warriors were the toast of the league after making the playoffs in 2007 after 15 years of absence. They even made noise in the post season play after scoring an upset over the then top seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Mullin was hailed for that achievement as it was through his off-court maneuverings that brought in coach Don Nelson, Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington and Monta Ellis. But everything went sour for Mullin as Davis left the Warriors before the start of the 2008-09 campaign and along the way had some brushes with Nelson.

Mullin, a member of the original US dream team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, is a popular figure in the bay area. He spent 13 years of his 16 year NBA playing career with Golden State. With his exit from the Warriors, most pundits are speculating of his imminent transfer to the New York Knicks front office. He is a native of the Gotham City by the way.

We wish you all the luck on your next destination, Chris!

FROM EPIC TO ANEMIC

It was another episode of officiating blunder in the NBA. In what was suppose to be an epic ending to a beautiful game between Dallas and Denver in the crucial game three of the Western Conference semis, the stupid referees made headlines anew.

Not to take anything away from the terrific heroics of Carmelo Anthony in canning that incredible trifecta with a second to go that lifted the Nuggets to a 106-105 squeaker and 3-0 series lead, but that should not happen at all in the first place. With the Mavs on top 105-103 and the ball possession for the Mile High City outfit, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle reminded his boys that the team still has a foul to give before they reach the penalty situation. So giving up a foul will further chopped down some precious ticks from the game clock. As Anthony took the inbound pass from the halfcourt, he then dribbled to his strong side and was strongly bumped by Mavs forward Antoine Wright but alas, there was no whistle from the ref and Anthony continued dribbling and went for a desperation attempt beyond the arc with a second to go.

The culprit this time is no other than veteran NBA ref Mark Wunderlich, who many presumed swallowed his whistle in the most crucial part of the game. Wunderlich was just a foot away from Wright and Carmelo. Carlisle disappointingly said "It’s just a shame, because Mark’s a good official, an experienced official. I assume they know that we have a foul to give, and we would take it in that situation. I’m yelling at Antoine: 'Get him, get him, take it.’ And no whistle blows. It’s just extremely disappointing”.

This is the second consecutive post-season where a ref decided the outcome of a game. Last year, ref Joey Crawford likewise did not blew his whistle on an apparent foul on Lakers guard Derek Fisher on Brent Barry of the Spurs, who was shooting a last second three-point shot. The Spurs were clearly denied of a win and could have evened up the series with the Lakers at two games apiece.

In the aftermath of the controversial Mavs-Nuggets game three, the NBA office issued a statement on their official stand on the incident, "At the end of the Dallas-Denver game this evening, the officials missed an intentional foul committed by Antoine Wright on Carmelo Anthony, just prior to Anthony's three-point basket."

Well, that’s it but the damage had been done and no one can take away the bitterness and pain of Mark Cuban and his Dallas Mavericks.

Shame on you, NBA!

*****

I would like to pay my last respect to a basketball mentor who is considered a legend in his own rights. Chuck Daly, 79, died last Saturday morning of pancreatic cancer. Daly is best remembered for leading the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. He was also the mentor of the original US Dream team in 1992 which was led by the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Chris Mullin.

Prior to the start of the ongoing NBA playoffs, all coaches worn a “Chuck Daly” pin on their suites as a sign of a collective support for the ailing Daly. He was also well-known in the league circles for his dashing suites and hair styles during his coaching days which made him a cut above the rest.

My hats off to you, coach Chuck.

"DEJA VU" TIME FOR THE CELTICS

It is “Déjà vu” time for the Boston Celtics as they enter the second round of the Eastern Conference play-offs after being stretched to the limit by the upstart Chicago Bulls in a series that will surely be one of the greatest in the history of NBA play-offs.

Last year, the men in green were also forced to play a game seven against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round. Then they again went on to a do-or-die game seven versus the Cleveland Cavaliers before stopping the Detroit Pistons in six grueling outings in the Eastern finals. Of course they smothered the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to annex their 18th league title.

Now the Beantown outfit would be facing a formidable foe in their second round match-up against Dwight “Superman” Howard and the Orlando Magic. Kevin Garnett remains a doubtful starter in the Magic series but back-up sophomore power forward Glenn “Big Baby” Davis and “do-it-all” guard Rajon Rondo had been the big revelations in the rotation of coach Doc Rivers in the ongoing post-season.

The road to championship No. 18 will be a tough one for Boston especially if Garnett would not be around. If they get past the Magic, they will be facing the formidable LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern finale.

For sure, the Celtics are now calling on the leprechaun to back-up their back-to-back title bid.

*****

So I went 4-4 in my first round play-off predictions. That’s a fifty percent batting average. Not bad after all. Now with the cast of the second round of play-offs already complete, my crystal ball goes back to work. Herewith are my predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (#1) VS. ATLANTA HAWKS (#4)

Is this the year of the Cavs? From all indications, this might be it. There is no stopping King James and his much-improved Cavaliers.

PREDICTION: CAVALIERS 4 HAWKS 1

BOSTON CELTICS (#2) VS. ORLANDO MAGIC (#3)

With KG out, who will stop Dwight Howard? That is the main question of the series. Back-up frontliner Leon Powe is also out so what’s left for the Celtics? Kendrick Perkins, Glenn Davis and Mikki Moore will try to do the job. And remember, the Celtics still have Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. That would be enough to finish off the Magic.

PREDICTION: CELTICS 4 MAGIC 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (#1) VS. HOUSTON ROCKETS (#5)

Yao Ming vs. Andrew Bynum would be a classic match-up and Ron Artest giving hell to Kobe Bryant defensively would be a much-awaited scenario. It looks like there is an upset in the making.

PREDICTION: ROCKETS 4 LAKERS 3

DENVER NUGGETS (#2) VS. DALLAS MAVERICKS (#6)

Nobody gave the Mavericks a chance against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round but look where they are right now. The Nuggets were impressive in crashing the play-offs dark horse Portland Trail Blazers but they will be facing a veteran-ladden Dallas squad featuring Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. This is the series to watch in the second round.

PREDICTION: MAVERICKS 4 NUGGETS 3

So there it goes, the remaining eight squads vying for the Larry O’Brien trophy. I know I would raise a lot of eyebrows on my predictions but I’m sticking on what my crystal ball says.

So LET’S GET IT ON!