COURTSIDE VIEW: "Revenge is the Sweetest Joy"

Johnny J

2Pac once said, "Revenge is the sweetest Joy" (90% of our readers should know the rest of that line--Ed). To LeBron James, the 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers were suppose to win it all. Instead, those dreams were swept in a dust pan and thrown away by the San Antonio Spurs. Six years later, with a stacked resume, LeBron looks to have the last laugh. Since that defeat, LeBron has won an NBA championship, won Finals MVP, has reached the Finals, three consecutive years, won an NBA scoring title and has two gold medals in the Olympics. Oh, did I mention that he is considered the best player on the planet right now?

This year's best scorer in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony, still hasn't learned that it takes more than one player to win a championship. Now at 28, a mature and focused James is up to the challenge of facing the same team who crushed his chance of winning his first ring.

James also has two other All-Stars on his team in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Yes, Bosh is soft, but he still was an All-Star. LeBron needed help from other superstars to eventually win a ring last year against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  An Avengers team was created and the Miami Heat have been too hot to extinguish. When the Heat lose, everyone panics--everyone but the Heat. They continue to play their game. My first thought on Game 7 between the Heat and the underdog Indiana Pacers was that LeBron is going to take over. I mean he has to because his team is not showing up. Instead in the first quarter, he passed on a few shots. He had 6 points at the end of the first quarter (on pace for 24 points--that's not too shabby!--Ed) and they were only down by two. He let the game come to him. At halftime he had 18 points (36 points' pace?--Ed) and he finished with 32 points. He scored when he needed to. There was even a Dwyane Wade sighting as he scored 21 points to help LeBron and company advance to the Finals.

But if their is a team, who I believe can put the flames out, it is the Spurs. Over the first three rounds, they showed me that old men can play (besides Uncle Drew that is).  They swept the Los Angeles Lakers, beat the young and talented backcourt of the Golden State Warriors, and swept the Memphis Grizzlies with the same broom they used on the Lakers. That's what opened my eyes, and then I closed them because dirt got in my eyes from the sweep. Oh wait, that was just the thought of me losing $40 bucks for thinking old men can't jump. The Spurs are not a physical team, but they can get up and down the court with the best of them. Even though they have three aging stars, they would have a total of nine days of rest before Thursday's Game 1 match-up.

(Not to be confused with the Louisville Cardinals' Second Wind.  Click here, if you want to read my entry on the Cardinals' march to the NCAA Championship). 

During the regular season, the Heat and Spurs played chess with each other.  Both teams sent messages to one another by not playing their "Big Three" on the road during their regular season match-ups.  The Spurs were fined a quarter of a million dollars for resting their big players against the Heat. Even though they lost, they only lost by five in Miami. That told me that they would still be a great team even without their stars. The Heat countered the Spurs by resting James and Wade in the Alamo (Bosh played so they wouldn't get fined, in my opinion).  Amazingly, the Heat won by two on a Bosh three-pointer. I don't know if they knew they would see each other in the Finals, but they didn't want to give away any scripts. Now is the time to see if that fine was worth it. No scripts given out here!

(Unless you believe in NBA conspiracies--Ed).

I believe this is the last year for the big three in Miami. Between Bosh being soft and Wade's bum knee, they're getting weaker.  Plus, with the Cavaliers getting yet another #1 overall pick, going back to Cleveland looks more appetizing for LeBron (irony much?--Ed). Is Pat Riley going to have to choke a player to get them to do what he wants them to do?  The Spurs have been through this for over a decade. They know what's at stake. A dynasty is getting ready to take the floor. I'll put my dustpan away for this series. It's definitely going to be long. James is going to be looking at making his list of accomplishments even longer and all that work he has put into making a name for himself.  This is the time to use the talents that took him to South Beach.  This is the time to silence all of the critics and haters.  This is the time for James to once again feel the sweet joy of revenge.

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COURTSIDE VIEW: Shiny Spurs on Old Dusty Boots

Johnny J

The San Antonio Spurs have reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007. The Spurs did something I didn't think they could accomplish: they swept the Memphis Grizzlies (So much for that pick--Ed) to reach their fifth championship game in 15 years. I mean they picked up the broom and beat the heck out of them until they turned around and ran.

Side note, I'm out $40 for betting against the Spurs. I guess, I shouldn't bet against Father Time because this is the best I've seen Tony Parker and the aging Tim Duncan. If Chronos, (Greek God of Time) is right, then the Spurs should win the whole thing. The last four times the Spurs have reached the Finals, they've won it. It seems like the more people talk about the aging of the Spurs and what they're not going to do in the playoffs, they prove everyone wrong.

The core of the Spurs consist of four people, yes four. Tim Duncan, (37 years) Manu Ginobili,(35 years) Tony Parker, (31 years) and the coach Gregg Popovich. I have to give Coach Pop credit, he is one of the best coaches in the NBA winning four championships in his era. He is like what DJ Jazzy Jeff was to the Fresh Prince, "He is the DJ, I'm the rapper." They all work together. When the big four came together in 1997, it was the beginning of a dynasty. They have won 70 percent of their games with Duncan in the line-up and have won 50 games or better with him since they drafted him. Now at the end of their careers, they still playing at a high level.

"Shiny Spurs on Old Dusty Boots."

Duncan, averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds against Memphis. He looked unstoppable at time dominating inside and outside. Duncan just divorced his wife and he doesn't even seem phased by it. The man with no emotions is still playing like nothing happened. Ginobili averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The former Sixth Man of the Year recipient (2008) hasn't lost his first step as he continues to drive, get foul and produce. An older version of James Harden (both left-handed too!).  Apparently "Southpaws" can play. The relentless Parker averaged 24 points and 9 assists in the series. He had 37 points in game four.  Alliyah, said it best, "Age ain't nothing but a number." The Spurs are definitely not playing like they belong in a senior citizens' home.

So with an aging core, what does Pop do to help balance the team? He puts playmakers all over the sandy floor for cheap.  Kawhi Leonard, a good wing player, can shoot the three and defend the perimeter. Salary is $1.8 million. Danny Green, (Yeah, North Carolina!) a good role player, helps spread the floor, with good three-point shooting. Salary is $3.5 million. Matt Bonner, a big man, who can also spread the floor with his ridiculous 46 percent three-point shooting. Salary is $3.6 million. Tiago Splitter, is a descent big man, who plays very well around the rim, good-shooter and rebounder (and as we explained before, Splitter and Duncan give the Spurs their best defensive alignment--Ed), and can give solid minutes on the floor to give a breather to Tim Duncan. He made $3.9 million this season. Unbelievable, economically sound role players. They fill holes with minimum costs!

The Spurs are looking to add another championship banner in their arena. Thanks to their play on both ends of the court, they are silencing their critics and my $40 bucks are long gone as the aging core is still performing. They freakin' swept the Grizzlies! "The Big Bad Bears of the South" were made to look like little kids. Their looking to go 5 for 5 in the NBA Finals since 1999. Chronos says they will.  As long as Parker keeps playing like he drank from the fountain of youth, the Spurs are going to be hard to beat. Ginobili is going to do his thing and Duncan is going to continue to not have any emotions. "My wife left me.  Oh well, game on!  DJ Pop please repeat the last song while I do my two-step.  Role players, play your game and show you're worth more than your current wage."

These shiny Spurs on these old dusty boots were made for walking and they're ready to walk all over the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers.

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Why the Grizzlies Don't Need a Superstar

Johnny J

When Russell Westbrook, went out with a knee injury in the first round, I changed my perspective on who was coming out the west. OKC is number one in the Western Conference for a reason. Besides having one of the best scorers in the league in Kevn Durant, the absence of Westbrook, who averaged 23 points and 7 assists in the regular season, makes this an ordinary team, with one star. Ask the casual movie-goer: more stars means the movie is worth watching . One star, means the movie is not worth anything. So Durant without Westbrook, is like Abbot without Costello. So with that said, I changed my West pick from the Thunder to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies are finding ways to win after trading their star perimeter player Rudy Gay in the middle of the season. But it's not about what they gave away but what they got in return. After the six-player exchange was all said and done, they acquired a young developing player in Ed Davis, (Go North Carolina) and veteran Tayshaun Prince, and throw-in Austin Daye. The Grizzlies, who lead the league in points allowed, just got bigger and more Grizzly. Both Davis and Prince are long defenders with a good wingspan. Prince's wingspan would make him about 7-foot-2, which is about 5 inches more than his height. He plays good defense, has good ball-handling skills, and can shoot from anywhere on the floor. I'll take that back in return for my star player who is now watching his former team from his couch.

Now you throw Prince in the mix with Defensive Player of the Year, Marc Gasol and a talented power forward in Z-Bo, (Zach Randolph) and I say you have a talented, man-consuming bear attack!  I call it, "when bears attack for no reason"--NBA Edition.  No need to feed them, they roam in the wilderness. The same place Durant and company are going to play the next two game, Memphis, at the FedEx Forum, where the Grizzlies were 32-9 at home in the regular season, and are 3-0 in the in the playoffs. Sounds like its going to be another bear attack in the South. Just ask L.A. Clippers' Blake Griffin, who went into the woods and just wasn't the same after his bear attack. Yes Griffin is a hard, tough player, but he let Randolph push him around in the playoffs. Griffin is a big guy, but he is harmless, and physical teams will push him around.

The Grizzlies should be up 2-0 in this series against the Thunder, but cub Quincy Pondexter, couldn't hit the free throws. Too much pressure for the cub, who only has two years experience. But like every road team in the playoffs would say, "At least we took away home court advantage from them, by taking one." Now, the Grizzlies, don't have that sense of urgency to win, because they already did the hard part: Win in OKC!
The Grizzlies don't have a traditional "go-to-guy," but they don't need one.  It's like Erik Spoelstra says:

"Who's going to take the last shot? Whoever's open."

When you have a lot of weapons on a team, you're able to do that. Who takes the last shot for the Grizzlies? Whoever is open!  Give it to Gasol, Randolph, Prince or even Mike Conley Jr., who was just one assist shy of a triple double in game 2. Who, would you put your best defender on against Memphis?  Good question.

Whoever made the call to get rid of Gay (Part of the answer can be found here--Ed) made the best move for this franchise.  Defense wins games and that guy didn't have any.  Now every guy is the -go-to-person. With that mentality, who needs a star?  You have a whole team full of co-stars. All their names show-up in the credits anyway.  How do you build a team around the co-stars?  Just add more! I'll take that over one star who breathes the same air as we do. If he misses, its his fault. If the co-stars misses, its the team's fault. 

Memphis should get past OKC and either San Antonio or Golden State will be in trouble. The Spurs are too old and the Warriors are too inexperienced.  Memphis will advance to the Conference Finals and the Spurs/Warriors should be prepared to be mauled by the Grizzlies. No Smokey or Yogi here;  just straight Grizzlies.

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