“With a true champion face to face with his darkest hour, he will do whatever it takes to rise above. A man fights, and fights, and then fights some more. Because surrender is death, and death is for pussies. And my ass ain’t no pussy. My ass is a f*cking champion.” – Kenny Powers

With the dust having settled on yet another NBA season and Dan Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers Mark Cuban and the Mavericks returning to Dallas with the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in franchise history, it felt appropriate to join in on the collective nationwide beating of the dead horse that is Lebron James and the Miami Heat. And yes, for the record, this year was as close as the Cavs will ever get to a championship of their own in any of our lifetimes. In fact, I suggest that Cleveland throws whatever the opposite of a ticker-tape parade is to dishonor Lebron, because unless the NCAA ignores the used car lot over at Ohio State, it is going to be a while before anyone is celebrating another champion in the Plum City or the rest of the state for that matter.           Read More »

I see the bad moon arising.  I see trouble on the way.  I see earthquakes and lightnin’.  I see bad times today.  -Creedence Clearwater Revival

On May 9, 1974, 25-year-old Bruce Springsteen played at the Harvard Square Theater in Cambridge.  Although popular with the college crowd in the Northeast, Springsteen was not yet a star.  That night, he and the E Street Band opened for Bonnie Raitt.  The influential music critic Jon Landau was in the audience.  Overwhelmed by what he had heard, Landau wrote, “I saw my rock and roll past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw rock and roll’s future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.”  Last night, May 12, 2011, the Miami Heat vanquished the mighty mighty Boston Celtics at American Airlines Arena in Miami.  Overwhelmed but what I saw, I write, “I saw my basketball past flash before my eyes.  I saw something else:   I saw basketball’s future and its name is the Miami Heat.”     Read More »

Last July LeBron James made his oft-criticized “Decision” to a nation of NBA fans and casual observers world wide. At the time, most of the ardent NBA fans and followers knew that the ramifications of the “Decision” would have a impact on the league going forward. However, most folks assumed the biggest change would be that the Miami Heat would be a powerhouse team for the next 7 years, and that LeBron and company would have a decent chance at winning a title or two along the way. Now, some 8 months since LeBron introduced the line “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” to the American lexicon, we see the real impact the “decision” made on the NBA. Read More »

(TNT 8PM ET)  This is gonna be a good one.  A made for Hollywood one.  The rhymes I write – you wish you could one.  Miami has been stellar on the road all season.  They carry a 21-10 mark as the visitor coming into the Second City.  But know this, the Heat struggle against teams with good points guards.  Derrick Rose is a good point guard.  A very good point guard.  An MVP point guard.  Yes, if I had a vote, I’d vote Rose.  I’m not the only one.  Not the lonely one.  Not the eau de cologney one.  Charles Barkley: “I think Derrick has surpassed Deron Williams as the best point guard in the NBA, and I think right now he has to be the front-runner for MVP.”  Rick Reilly: “Rose has the Bulls in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the East even though they lost their two trees — Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for much of the first half.  The pick is Rose for all the right reasons.”    Juwan Howard: “I’m not even being politically correct guys, you want me to say I would give it to LeBron, but honestly, I would give it to D. Rose.”    Get your popcorn ready!

Peace out homies!  Six Two and Even!

Three blind mice, three blind mice.   See how they run, see how they run.  They all ran after the farmer’s wife who cut off their tails with a carving knife.  Did you ever see such a thing in your life, as three blind mice?

When the Big Three first brought their talents to South Beach, Michael Jordan said, “There’s no way, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team.’ But that’s me.”  When the Big Three first brought their talents to South Beach, Charles Barkley said, “I thought that LeBron’s little one-hour special was a punk move. I thought them dancing around on the stage was a punk move, and I thought he should’ve stayed in Cleveland. Him joining Dwyane Wade’s team was very disappointing to me.”  When the Big Three first took their talents to South Beach, critics everywhere questioned their manhood.  Critics everywhere questioned their battle planhood.  Critics everywhere wondered if they took it in the canhood.   Turns out, MJ, Sir Charles, and critics everywhere, were right.     Read More »

Oh now feel it coming back again; like a rolling thunder chasing the wind.  Forces pulling from the center of the earth again.  I can feel it.  -Live

The Magic began the game last night by mocking LeBron’s former Cavaliers’ team pre-game antics of snapping photos before tip-off.  Like a wise man once said, “Action speak louder than words.”  Like Paul McCartney once said, “You better listen what the man says.”  LeBron James listened to what the man said.  His actions spoke louder than his words.  Louder than a bomb!  Public Enemy style.  LeBron was a regular Teddy Roosevelt last night.  He spoke softly and carried a big stick.  He carried a big a stick and whacked it all upside the Magic’s heads.  Whacked it to the tune of  51 big points.  Whacked it to the tune of 11 big boards.  Whacked it to the tune of eight big assists.  Yowza!  Whacked the Magic upside their heads and led the Heat to a 104-100 win over the Magic.  The King is dead.  Long live the King!           Read More »

(TNT 8PM ET)  This off-season, LeBron James took his talents to South Beach.  This off-season, Dwight Howard was none-to-happy about it.  Dwight Howard said stuff.  He said stuff like, “We’re trying to take their heads off!”  Yikes!  Sounds like Mike Tyson.  Sounds like, “I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him.  I want to kill people.  I want to rip their stomachs out and eat their children.  Praise be Allah!”  The last time these two teams met, Dwight Howard made good 0n his threat.  The last time these two teams met, Dwight Howard had 24 points and 18 rebounds as he led the Magic over the Heat by nine.  This time, Howard may put up similar numbers, but he’s not walking away with the W.  After a rough few weeks, the Miami Heat are starting to flex again.  After a few rough weeks, the Heat are once again looking like the team that won 21 out of 22 games in December and early January.  After a few rough weeks, they’ve won three straight and four out of their last five.  They’re starting to look like real basketball team.  Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit.  Team, team, team!  No one more important that the other.  Well LeBron’s a little more important, but still.  But still, get your popcorn ready!

Peace out homies.  Six two and even!

Well, I’ve been haunted in my sleep.  You’ve been starring in my dreams.  Lord I miss you.  -Rolling Stones

From the best of times to the worst of times.  From the spring of hope to the winter of despair.  From the season of Light to the season of Darkness.  From going direct to Heaven to going direct the other way.  From LeBron to life without LeBron.  Last night, without LeBron, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lost to the Heat with LeBron.  Last night, without LeBron, the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their record to 8-40.  For those of you keeping score at home, that makes them the first team to reach 40 losses this season.  Last year, with LeBron, they were the first team to reach 40 wins.  You know what that makes them boys and girls?  C’mon take a guess.  That’s right, that makes them the first team in NBA history to be the first to reach 40 losses in one season after being the first to record 40 wins in the previous season.  Yowza! What a difference a year makes.  What a difference a player makes.            Read More »

I like Slam dunks take me to the hoop.  My favorite play is the alley oop.  I like the pick-and-roll, I like the give-and-go.  Cause it’s basketball, uh, Mister Kurtis Blow.  -Kurtis Blow

Ace may be the place with the helpful hardware but this is the place with the NBA hardware.  The place with the NBA midseason hardware.  The hardware that’s fun to wear.  More fun than a barrel of monkeys.  More fun than a clown on fire.  More fun than a sack of dead kittens.  More fun than all of that.  Like my main man the Big Fundamental always says:  “Good, better, best.  Never let it rest.  Until your good is better and your better is best.”  Who’s good?  Who’s better?  Who’s best?  After the jump, take a look for yourself.  Do it.              Read More »

I’ve had the blues, the reds and the pinks.  One thing’s for sure, love stinks.  Love stinks, yeah yeah.  J. Geils Band

When LeBron took his talents to South Beach, we all knew the Cleveland Cavaliers would be bad.  However, at the outset, it didn’t seem so awful.  At the outset, LeBron and the Miami Heat began the season 9-8 and we were all ecstatic that they were failing so miserably.  Meanwhile back in Cleveland, the Cavaliers were a respectable 7-9 and decent enough that a person could consider the King James loss to be something less than catastrophic.  That was then.  This is now.  Now, from the time Cleveland was 7-9, they went 1-21.  Now, from the time Miami was 9-8, they went 21-1.  Now, the Heat are vying for top spot in the East with the vaunted Boston Celtics.  Meanwhile back in Cleveland,  the Cavs are worst team in basketball.  Meanwhile back in Cleveland, the Cavs have lost eight games this season by at least 20 points.  Meanwhile back in Cleveland, the Cavs have lost the most games by at least 20 points for any team in the NBA.  Just so you know, the Cavs were the only team in the league not to lose a game by 20 points last season and did so only 21 times during the Bron Bron era.  Dan Gilbert: “I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.”  Uh….no.

Peace out Cleveland.  Six two and even