COURTSIDE VIEW: What Would you do for a Klondike Bar?

Johnny J

With the Miami Heat winning back-to-back NBA titles, it is official; I just lost another bet. In fact, I lost three bets that came out to a grand total of $60. I usually don't make bets unless I absolutely feel the team I pick will win. That didn't happen.  My luck was so bad, that one team I gambled on was actually swept in these playoffs, which made it worse. So the next day, when I saw the person who won the wagers, I quickly went up to him and paid off my debt. I don't like being in debt so I try and pay off my debtors as soon as possible. There's no chasing me down or confronting me because I would go looking for that person I owe money to first. There's no waiting until the next time I get paid because I would have the money on me already just in case I do lose. When that happens, I earn the reputation of me being an honest person. People don't mind making wages with me because I end up chasing them down to get rid of my debt. Chris Bosh, I hope you are taking notes because I feel you owe Pat Riley and your teammates your salary, which is just as bad as Ray Allen jumping on the bandwagon with the enemy.

Game 7, on Wednesday night, had to be one of the worst games, if not the worst for a so-called superstar in NBA history. Bosh didn't even score a single point. He played 28 minutes in one of the most anticipated games in an  NBA Finals. How did he come out on the floor like a person who just couldn't get the job done?  A superstar should do his job and show up to big games. He had zero points and seven rebounds. When Pat Riley signed him to a six-year, $109 million dollar contract, he pictured a dominant max contract player who was a productive, franchise-type player with the Toronto Raptors.  The same player who became the all-time leading scorer for the Raptors. A double-double average a night guy. Instead, he got a newborn baby who was brought in by a stork. A newborn who was looking to get nurtured by the real superstars of the team. In others words, Bosh is softer than ______(insert your favorite brand name fabric softener--Ed). He's someone who is riding backseat of a championship team. Riding the talents of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

So be a man, chase Pat Riley down, and give him your whole earnings of your check. The whole $17 million and some change check for this past season because you're in debt, my friend. A grand total of seven rebounds...seven and one block. ITS AN NBA FINALS, GAME 7! Third String center Joel Anthony could have produced more stats in that time (and for one-fifth of the cost--Ed).  So between Bosh and Wade, I would have to say Bosh is the one who is gone next season (despite qualifying for Early Termination Option, highly doubt that Bosh will walk away from $19 million+ for next season--Ed). I can't see the Heat paying a salary that is just going to increase. Riley is probably trying to work out a deal/trade right now. Maybe a second round pick in return would suffice. Bosh must be best friends with Brooklyn Nets' player, Joe Johnson. I heard he steals from the front office as well. What would you do for a Klondike Bar, Bosh? For a ring, for a chance to glorify and get paid off of your teammates' talents? I would feel better sleeping if I knew Heat veteran, Shane Battier received that salary instead.

Mr. "He Got Game" himself, Ray Allen. Leaving your friendships with the Boston Celtics to jump on the back of LeBron James. Taking less money to join the enemy of your Celtics' team. One of the best shooters in NBA history, desperate for another ring, I see.  He had a few highlights in Game Six to help the Heat prevail, but overall  I see why Kevin Garnett doesn't talk to him any more. Where is your self-respect? I just threw out my, "He Got Game" movie. Allen may have eased his way to another ring, but I'm sure he is still upset about San Antonio Spurs' role-player, Danny Green breaking his record for most threes made in a NBA Finals.  I couldn't reside with the enemy, especially for less money. That's just something I couldn't do. Obviously he must have thought the Celtics were a step slower in reaching the Finals again (Doc Rivers definitely thinks so--Ed). If he continued to play for the Celtics and if Rajon Rondo was healthy, I believe  the Celtics could have reached the finals. What would you do for a Klondike Bar, Ray? Kiss the rival, lose your friend. It must be ice cream in the middle, because dishonor is something that carries weight. Enjoy the 2% fat Klondike bar.


Bosh is a fraud--a fraud I tell you (Kevin Durant would say he's a "fake tough guy."--Ed). Anywhere he goes, he is going to be stealing. Just seven rebounds in an NBA Finals is worse than terrible. He stole minutes as well.  He robbed somebody who was worthy of those 28 minutes. Riley knows what has to be done. Give him the boot and make him earn that $109 million salary somewhere else. As far as Ray goes, going AWOL on his former championship team; the things people will do to be in the spotlight. I didn't see him in any highlights on the Heat's 27 game win streak, so enjoy it while you can, you aren't getting any younger.

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COURTSIDE VIEW: Straight Sixes

Johnny J

Dice have six sides to it--six faces--with one one shot on landing on six for every time its rolled. The odds of rolling a six are 5:1. You can fail five times while only being successful one time. Now moving to a bigger scale. The Miami Heat were favored to beat the San Antonio Spurs, 5:12. That means if someone was betting on the game, they would have received $5 profit for every $12 wagered. But for a team that was favored to win it, the odds are not that high. Now with the Spurs leading three games to two, the outcome of the series can either end in game six or seven. The Heat have to win two games and the odds of them winning are 3:1 in seven games. The odds of the Spurs ending it in game six is 6:1 or 13:2 in seven. The odds are higher because they're not favored. Now for LeBron James to win Finals MVP is 4:9, while Tony Parker's odds are 9:2. But for a role player such as Danny Green on winning are a whopping 30:1. Right now he is the MVP. "Straight Sixes" is the discussion of the Heat's big three vs the Spurs' old three. A look at game six and LeBron James changing his number to six.

The Miami Heat are on the verge of being defeated in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. James recorded a triple-double in a loss in game one and has been showing flashes of what an MVP should look like by simply looking more for his shots. Triple-doubles are astonishing in an NBA Finals, but it don't mean squat in a loss. Chris Bosh is more of a role player than a star. He puts mediocre stats up, but the biggest surprise to me is Dwyane Wade finding, looking, and driving to find his stats. Wade is doing what he has to do in order to take the pressure off of the King. In game five, he had 25 points and 10 assists. I just now remembered his name is "Flash." Thanks for finally reminding me, D-Wade. While Wade did what he had to, Parker did what he needed to, scoring 26 points. He is the leader of the team.  He knew the Spurs can't be down in the series going back to South Beach. He made Mario Chalmers look like a little kid who couldn't defend. Tim Duncan is amazing at his age. Still a very dangerous low-post threat, posting a double-double in Game Five and has been throughout the series. Manu Ginobili finally found his game in the starting lineup. Welcome to the party; better late than never! It was a great move by Gregg Popovich. It's what needed to be done to get his game going.

Looking ahead to Game Six, I expect the Miami Heat to win. The series has gone win, lose, win, lose for both teams. Home court advantage doesn't seem to matter. I know the NBA is happy as they're getting the most out of this NBA Finals (So is the TV Networks that pony up large sums of money into these Finals--Ed). If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Ginobili will be in the starting lineup again. Put him, Parker, and Duncan around shooters like Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. That is a dangerous inside and out combination. Green went 6 for 10 behind the arc in Game Five. I felt like everything he threw at the rim was going in. This kid from the University of North Carolina, (Yeah Tar Heels!) has really made a name for himself. No more dancing in the Cleveland Cavaliers circles to entertain James. On the other side, I look for James to be more aggressive in the open-court. It's win or go home!  I don't expect him to do much passing.  I also expect Wade to also be aggressive. He looked good the last two games. I can finally stop saying, "There was a D-Wade sighting on the floor." Besides it's kind of late to make changes in a do or die game. The Spurs experimented with Ginobili and it payed off.

I bet when James and company were dancing on stage in their introduction to the Heat fans a couple of years ago, they probably thought that getting a ring wouldn't be this hard. Now on the verge of dancing back to the couch, I look at the man who changed his jersey number to build his own legacy. James gave up the number 23, for his Olympic jersey number six. He has accomplished a lot, including winning a gold medal. He has only one ring though, which doesn't scream "better than Michael Jordan." So with him changing his number, he showed to Jordan what he thinks about him and all the talk had died down on the comparison. Currently, James does have a lot of individual trophies, but he lacks the most important ones--Championships. Changing your number is fine (Kobe Bryant has went from wearing 8 to 24, but he has five rings!). So it's safe to say he had built his legacy around being a champion and LeBron has built his around being the best player in the game. Jordan changed his number from 23 to 45. Oh wait, he has six rings! How many rings does James have? One. Kobe and Jordan earned the right to change their number. Just like Jordan said, "I'll take Kobe Bryant over Lebron James with the first pick."

Landing on six: Gambling always has the number six involved. The lottery consists of six numbers for at least three of the big games. Straight Sixes: the old big three versus the Heat's big three. It's looking forward to Game Six and the legacy James has built wearing number six. I'm looking forward to see how James is going to come out. Is he going to look to get the Finals MVP with another triple-double, or going to consider winning it all is more important and that he has to take over?  The Heat are better with the floor being spread out, meaning Mike Miller and Ray Allen in at the same time. The Spurs are going to continue to put up points with their "we can't miss mentality." The Spurs are thinking of winning their 5th championship in Game 6 and cementing their own legacy as well.  Game 6 can't arrive fast enough!

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COURTSIDE VIEW: Breaded Rolls and Flat Pop

Johnny J

The pick and roll and the pick in pop, has been around since I can remember.  They are one of the most uncomplicated types of offenses to run and one the most difficult to defend. But for a team that has been titled old and rugged, running this type of offense has made the San Antonio Spurs playing great team basketball. Each and every year under Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference. He has four championships since 1999 using the same techniques and he has found players to fill the void, to go with his offense. The pick and roll and pick and pop are ran to perfection by the Spurs because they have good players who run it in Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. When you have players who have been repeating the same songs over and over for a decade, the song must be a hit. Not to mention DJ Pop on the turntables. This song just turned from a hit to a classic.

When Duncan sets a screen or pick for Parker, the 14x All-Star can quickly roll to the hoop, anticipating a pass from Parker for an easy dunk or lay-up. That's called "pick and roll."  If the roll is guarded, Duncan can shoot the rock after getting the ball from Parker off the screen. That's called a "pick and pop."  The same goes for Parker.  If the screen setter is guarded, he can roll to the basket or come off the screen and shoot it. It's the customer's choice; you can either take the bread roll or a flat pop. It's flat because they do it so much that it's getting old. But it works! If a second defender has to help and guard against it, then that person leaves a wide-open shooter, because the floor is always spread out when ran. If you look at Spurs' guard Danny Green in game 2 against the Heat. He was 6-6 from the field, a ridiculous 5-5 from behind the arc (you dare to leave a player from North Carolina open, Miami?). You just get torched from a player that was just standing around.

Think of a young Steve Nash and a much younger Amar'e Stoudemire, who also ran the pick and rolls when the Phoenix Suns were a playoff team. Teams have to have a good point guard to run it and a good center or power forward, who can shoot and finish. The Spurs have that, but Tony Parker isn't just a good point guard, he is a great point guard!  So I call guards like him "Generals."  The floor Generals are the ones who give orders.  They can have the chef serve the dish down your throat or if you your food is rare, they can do it themselves. They have great fundamentals and basketball skills. Good awareness that helps guide the rock to its unnatural home. Its simple, the rock isn't suppose to know who's hands its going to land on, but the General does. He gave the order. Now who would you rather serve you: the chef or the waiter?

Every once in awhile, people call off work. When this happens, the restaurant is short-handed or in total disarray. In Game 2 of the Finals, this is what happened.  Everybody who was on the schedule, had a bad night. Serving the same food, the Spurs committed 17 turnovers.  It wasn't just the waiter, but everyone on staff. Parker had a bad shooting and serving night. It actually looked like the Spurs played better when he was not on the floor.  Duncan had a bad night, too and so did forward Kawhi Leonard.  It looked like they both wanted to call in sick. Although Leonard did go in to pick up his check by playing great defense on LeBron James. James was 7-17 from the field. After Leonard picked up his check, he returned an hour later not wanting to do the work for the check. You have to play both sides of the ball. If Parker and Duncan have a bad night, someone has to pick up their customers' orders.

I already knew this was going to be a long series.  As much as I wanted a sweep and my wallet wanted it to be a sweep, I knew it wasn't going to be one. In the end, I still have the Spurs coming out on top. You think just because the Heat did a good job defending the pick and roll in one night, that the Spurs are going to stop from moving forward?  Not at all!  It's just going to make them work harder at smoothing it out. The next three games are at the Alamo. For a team that has only lost one game at home in the playoffs and six in the regular season, it's going to be tough for any opposing team to disrupt the Spurs' flow at home. The concession stands are going to be packed. I heard all their going to be serving is breaded rolls and flat pop. Enjoy!

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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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THE WESTERN CONFERENCE: Enough Said!

Johnny J

The Western Conference dominance over the Eastern Conference, has been around for some time now. Its not that the west plays a different type of basketball, but its more of a team effort. Compared to the East, teams like the New York Knicks and Miami Heat focus on a superstar.  If you took away the superstar from each team, would they still be Conference title contenders, let alone NBA Title contenders? Out west, teams like Memphis, Golden State and Denver would still find away to win games minus their leading sorer. Truth be told, the West may have more superstars than the East as the latter has won the last three All-Star games. They also won five out of the last eight NBA Finals. That's what I call Conference dominance!

 The East is full of depleted stars this season, due to injuries: Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, Rajon Rondo and Amar'e Stoudemire have all missed a significant amount of games this year because of injury. Who has the best chance of reaching the finals? Obviously its easier to win in the East because of teams missing their stars. So for a team like the Knicks, now is the time to turn that frown upside-down. This could be their year.  The only team in their way--the Miami Heat. The Knicks have beaten them three times this season; once without Carmelo Anthony. Now just make it stick in the playoffs. I see only two teams being able to make the Finals in the East: New York and Miami.

If you look at the eight teams in the playoffs for the West, I would say six of them can make the finals. The only two who I believe won't are the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.

• Houston, we have a problem: James Harden has to go back to OKC and show them why he should have gotten paid. Who's worth more to a team: Harden or Russell Westbrook?  (Russell Westbrook--Ed). My answer is Harden.  He led the league in  free throw attempts with 792. Kevin Durant attempted 750. Imagine having them on the same team. Oh wait , that happened! Now Harden has to take his one man band into Chesapeake Arena, where the Thunder have only lost seven games all year. 
• "Warriors come out and play": This isn't the 1979 classic, but more of the 21st century video game. All I can say is this is going to be a series that doesn't believe in defense. These teams can definitely put up points. Denver lead the league with 106.1 PPG and Golden State came in seventh with 101.2 PPG. Stephen Curry vs Ty Lawson: a 2013 classic!

Matter of fact, if you take the eight seed Rockets and put them in the East, they would be a five seed. If you take the fifth seed Grizzlies and put the in the east, they would be a two seed. So is the West harder than the East?  Yes!  It's because they don't rely on one person; they rely on the team. Six of the the top teams who lead the league in assists are out West. Carmelo Anthony's team ranked 30th in assists. Big difference between ball sharing and ball hogging. It just seems to work for the Knicks. The West also plays at a faster tempo. Its more of a full-court, fast-break style of play. It's all about possession efficiency and pace.  Matter of fact, there is a formula that measures team pace: Team Possessions + Opponent Possessions / 2 X [Team Minutes Played / 5]

Basically, the more possessions you have, the more points a team can put up. The Rockets lead the league with 98.6, followed by the Nuggets with 97.8. Then you have the Warriors, Lakers, and Spurs in the order of four, five, and six. That's how the West dominates. Its simple mathematics. The West plays at a faster pace, while the East is mostly half-court play. Whoever comes out the East will still have to worry about slowing down their Western opponent.  It's that simple!  Easier said than done.

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