NBA Finals! Heat vs. Mavericks

Like I expected, the NBA Finals will be between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks.

I have a feeling that Miami will take the lead. However, I think the Finals will be switched by a STRONG lead that the Mavericks manage to take over. In my opinion, this can provide anticipation for the viewers and motivation for players.

The Eastern / Western Conference Finals. (Preview)

My expected teams that will face off in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals are Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. These two teams already showed great sportsmanship and games. However, there always is a loser.

I feel that Miami will dominate against the Chicago Bulls.

My expected teams that will face off in the NBa Western Conference Finals are the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder. These two teams are already highly valued. I feel that their games will be very enjoyable to watch. I'm looking forward to their enhancement in games.

I feel that Oklahoma will win.

Dallas vs. Lakers! Preview

Let's take a look at the surmised results for my Western Conference SemiFinals. I have a feeling that L.A. will go against the Dallas Mavericks on their road to the Finals. However, I think L.A.'s winning streak has finally come to an end. Their results with the New Orleans Hornets were already disappointing. Although Hornets are not as challenging as other teams, they still had trouble handling Chris Paul in the perimeter and David West owning the post. Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant's highlights were nowhere to be found.
As a result, I strongly feel that Lakers will not make it to the Finals this year.

Also, I think this might be one of Kobe's last few years in the league. Because of his age, it is time for him to leave the spotlight to the younger teammates. His era is slowly dying out. Definitely, this season was not as great as any other seasons that he had. Although he is a champion, skilled player, and a outstanding athlete, his attributes that were signifying the team are now not as utilizing.

2011 Playoffs Begin!

The whole idea of Playoffs was dormant for quiet a bit. However, the upcoming Playoffs is about to implode at any second.

My expected teams to the finals are the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. Although I want the Chicago Bulls to head to the Finals. I feel that Miami Heat will dominate against Chicago's defense with very quick offensive fastbreaks.

Their progress until now have been very successful. I feel that they will continue their winning streak until the Finals. The winner is still unexpected and unpredictable.

Spurs vs. Grizzlies

For Christ's Sake!

Spurs have been eliminated from the Playoffs. This is one of the worst playoff moments in the history of NBA. SPURS, who had one of the best records in their franchise history, has been eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies, 8th place, who is a very descent team who is honestly not as good as other top teams. Since that this is Memphis Grizzlies' first time playoff 2nd round appearance, they all feel very confident, but nervous at the same time.

The player of the game would be Zach Randolph. This player is one of the best forwards in the league. His lefty jump shots are very difficult to guard. Even when a hand is perfectly guarding his vision, his stroke completes the shot perfectly. His career was silent all along. However, his appearance in the playoffs this year was astonishing for everybody. Zach Randolph played a major role tonight. He was able to make jump shots at the last minute, which gave no hope to Spurs. 

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 4

This is what I call "FUNTASTIC GAME". It is both entertaining and nerve-wrecking at the same time. One of my favorite point guards in the league, Brandon Roy, showed an outstanding performance tonight. His performance not only cheered up the crowd, it gave confidence to his teammates. Since that it is the playoffs, Dallas was leading round 1 by 3 wins. However, because of the extra tightness due to the playoffs, Portland Trail Blazers all showed amazing stats and teamwork to get the "W" over a very talented team.

The player of the game would be Brandon Roy. Although Trail Blazers were suffering a 23-point deficit, with Brandon Roy's points and assists, Portland was able to rapidly climb up to the score board. The killer-three delivered by Brandon Roy was outstanding. With less than one minute, Brandon Roy tied the game with a 4-point play. He was feeling very good in the outside range. As a result, he almost had 20 points as a bench point guard. This is an outstanding stat for a bench member who is heavily injured.

76ers vs. Heat! Game 3

This is getting exciting! Miami Heat, who is a team that is very close to the All-star team. Miami Heat has three of the best players in the world. The three all-star members are all very talented and their range of improvement is beyond the reach of a human-being.

First, Lebron James, an outstanding small forward who is capable of crushing his opponent with his speed and power. Nowadays, Lebron James is considered a player that has the potential to be the next Michael Jordan. Although their playing style is completely different, their talent levels are thought to be similar. In many critics' opinion, they still consider Lebron James as a amateur player due to his age. However, I consider Lebron James as one of the best forwards in NBA history. He certainly deserves to be treated with respect.

Second, Chris Bosh is one of the best centers in the league. His mid-range jump shots are "unguardable".  Even if an excellent defender is guarding him, Chris Bosh can simply use his signature move to pass by his opponent. Afterwards, he would finish at the rim with authority. Chris Bosh was originally in the Toronto Raptors. However, he was traded this year to the Miami Heat with Lebron James, which caused a sensation to all NBA fans and normal ones.

Third, the original member of the Miami Heat, Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat is one of the best shooters and drive-in players in the history of the league. Dwayne Wade's favorite move is the pump-fake - draw the foul - And 1. This pattern is consistently working for all NBA opponents. While most players fall into this trap, there are some who are patient and clever enough to avoid giving the foul. 

One of the players who can do that is Andre Iguodala. Not only Dwayne Wade, Andre Iguodala is a very skilled player who is capable of avoiding all contacts between defensive plays. While Andre Iguodala is well known for his presence in the Dunk Contest, he is also very well known for his three-pointers' skills. His skills are well-known throughout all NBA players. 

As the domination of skill from Miami is apparent, this game was a easy win for the Miami Heat. In such circumstances, Miami has the ability to adapt to away courts very quickly and play well even in harsh circumstances as away crowds. 

As a result, game 3 of Philadelphia and Miami ended with Miami's defeat. 

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 3

So far, this was the best game in NBA 2011 playoffs. Although one of my favorite teams, Dallas Mavericks, had to suffer a loss in a away game, Portland Trail Blazers have shown tremendous improvement and got the prize for their effort. In this game, there were many different players to point out.
First of all, Brandon Roy of Portland Trail Blazers have shown amazing effort and got the "W" over Dallas Mavericks.

Brandon Roy: a bench point guard for Portland Trail Blazers; this player was an excellent point guard until he was injured very badly in 2009. Until that point, Brandon Roy was considered as one of the best point guards in the league. However, with his knee injury, it restricted him to play as a bench point guard.

Wesley Matthews: He is the key player of the night! His performance in the first quarter astonished the fans and Mavericks. He passed his career-high for playoffs in the first quarter! In addition, his 4 three-pointers were the killers for Mavericks.

For Mavericks, although there are many talented and veteran players, they were mostly descent or less during this game.

2011 Playoff Begins.

Western Conference Analysis

Eastern Conference Analysis

This is how the 2011 Playoffs were chosen. The first eight teams of the Eastern Conference are chosen as the teams that will go on to the Playoff finals. 

The reason why the 2011 playoffs are so intimidating to many people is because people have changed their favorite teams very frequently due to the trades that were insanely surprising too many critics. As a result, many of the fans were also dissappointed, but some also felt very happy and glad. 

For me, although I was a Denver Nuggets fan, I quickly took a transition to New York because of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billup's recent trades. 

Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks D-ROSE FOR MVP!

Last night was filled with intensity and hard-working players. Since that the playoffs are coming up in less than ten games for most teams, many teams are fighting for a better spot for the NBA playoffs candidates.

NBA Playoffs - This is the most important event for all players and fans. This is the tournament where the best teams with the best records in the season compete for the ultimate annual champion ring. The best eight teams compete.

However, Milwaukee has failed to get a W over the Eastern Conference's best team, Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee have to get as many wins as possible to stay on the top 10 of the Eastern Conference. If they lose more, there is a higher chance that another team will overwhelm them to the playoffs.

Last night was all Derrick Rose's.

This young Chicago Bulls point-guard is the most famous and the most powerful point guard in NBA history. His athletic abilities are apparently showed in games by showing acrobatic shots. Not only his athletic ability, his speed, crossovers, and penetration has been acknowledged by many critics and fans. Though this player was criticized in the past for his low average in assists, he has worked that part of his game outside of the court and is now one of the most famous and well-known point-guard. If it wasn't Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls wouldn't have come this far. Derrick Rose is also the strongest candidate for this year's MVP. When this is only his 3rd season, he became a candidate for MVP.

Last night, Milwaukee had the home court and the advantageous home crowd. However, this meant nothing to Derrick Rose. His ability to control himself and make shots has improved more than ever. With this skill, Derrick Rose was able to sink the last 6 points of the 4th quarter to save the Bulls from losing. Although it was an Away game, Derrick Rose tied his career-high for assists with 14. In addition, he was able to get many points last night. 

THIS WAS IMPRESSIVE.

Although Salmons of the Bucks was very impressive throughout the whole game. Derrick Rose was not enough for any of the players from Milwaukee to guard. As a result, Milwaukee suffered a painful home loss. While, Chicago took home the victory.

Derrick Rose:

Warriors vs. Spurs THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY BORING.

Last night was filled with all sorts of depression and despair. One of my favorite players, Stephen Curry, suffered a painful defeat in San Antonio. While Golden State Warriors is a very good team, San Antonio Spurs was dominating over the game. 

The key players for this game would be Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

First, Tony Parker is a well known veteran. He was in the association for more than 9 years. His career shows how much improvement he went through. This player has the ability to handle the ball, distribute the ball to the right teammates, and shoot the ball with his favorite and signature moves. 

This player's favorite move is "The Tear Drop." Literally, this shot looks as if a tear is dropping. The ball arches over the defender creating a arch shaped like a rainbow. As a result, it is very difficult for the defender to guard the man while the offender is showing this move. However, for a move this hard to guard needs a long time to perfect. In my opinion, Tony Parker is one of those players that developed his skills throughout his career in the most standard and hard-working strategy. 

The other key player to this game would be Manu Ginobili. This player is also a special veteran in the league. He has spent more than 14 years in the association and his skills are extremely valuable to the Spurs. His favorite and best move would be "Fake and then drive." This player has the ability to trick the opponent very well, and then lead other defenders to guard him by dribbling to the basket. When other players are guarding on him, he usually finds an open man and lets him shoot the ball without a defender. When he has a easy traffic to the basket, he finishes at the basket with a strong move. 

However, I am not a big fan of the Spurs. Spurs have the tendency to make a game terribly boring. On the other hand, Warriors have the tendency to score many points in short time and get the crowd in to the game. I would have to say that Spurs have the best fundamentals in the association. 

With these veterans in the team, Spurs were able to guide them selves to a victory over the Warriors. 

Celtics vs. Knicks My NEW favorite team was defeated....

Last night, the Boston Celtics went head to head against my new favorite team, New York Knicks. Ever since the BIG trade occurred. Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Chauncey Billups are currently not showing their best performance. Those three players are an excellent match for New York. The best scoring forward in the NBA, Amare Stoudemire, can posterize any other forwards in the NBA. One of the best known shooting-forward, Carmelo Anthony, will shoot a clean jump-shot on any man guarding him. An excellent, experienced, and famous point guard, Chauncey Billups, will plant a clutch shot in any point guard's face. These three players are going against the Boston Celtics, who are also very strong against strong teams both defensive and offensive ways.

However, last night wasn't the night for New York. Until the BIG trade, I hated New York. Their teamwork was horrible, but what I've seen from New York from last night has completely changed my mindset. Although they didn't play well enough to beat the Celtics, they've shown descent teamwork and didn't completely disappoint the home crowd.

Definitely, I wasn't disappointed.

Mavs. vs. Lakers They go head to head!

The Western league's 2nd and 3rd places were competing last night. Dirk Nowitzski, Jason Kidd, and the Dallas Mavericks will be going head to head against Kobe Bryant's LA Lakers. These two teams are excellent teams overall. The Lakers defense has improved significantly over the last few years. The Mavs. offense has been spectacular with Dirk's one footed fadeaways. However, there was Kobe's signature fadeaways as well.

Analysis of the Two best players.

Dirk Nowitzski:
His presence in the NBA was spectacular. Ever since his rookie years, Dallas Mavericks didn't have a single doubt in their heads about trading Nowitzski. Dirk has improved his signature moves from the beginning of his career. With the effort for his career, he is now regarded as the best shooting center in all of NBA history. Dirk Nowitzski is a tall center who shows no mercy when it comes to his signature moves. His in-game shots show his effort while practicing. Throughout his career, his range of distance when shooting became longer and longer as he developed them through the years. Currently, he is a 58% shooter while most of his shots are not from the post. He is an excellent player and is expected to be on the Hall of fame when retired.

Kobe Bryant:
Nowadays, if you say the name Kobe, many will say they know and recognize him. He is so called, The Black Mamba. His shooting skills ever since his rookie year has greatly improved. The reason why he is called "The Black Mamba" is because his shooting form reminds many of the sneak called "black mamba" His typical shots are usually exemplary because of his quick-release. His quick-release skills show many great players how Kobe's shots are at its best levels. However, though he is recognized as a great player, there are some negative stereotypes about him. He is a ball hog. This nickname of his was created in his rookie years. As a 19-year old NBA superstar, he was called ball hog. However, as a 33-year old veteran, he watched and experienced through his career that passing is also a great deal of work and contribution to his team. As a result, he is praised many times currently that he is a much more well-rounded player than he was during his rookie year.


Though these two players are great and the game was intense the whole time, there has to be a winner. The winner of this night was the Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers. In this game, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, and Pau Gasol of LA Lakers showed great teamwork and showed the Mavs. that they still have another chance to get the championship ring. Though Nowitzski and Kidd's performance was amazing, the result was positive for LA.

East vs. West LA Allstar

All-STAR WEEKEND BABY!!!!

West Starters are: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan!

East Starters are: Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Amare Stoudemire!

These two teams go in a fierce battle of the LA 2011 All-stars.

The reason why this is so special to Kobe is because it's his chance to get his 4th MVP title. He has an advantage because it's his home stadium with his home crowd! If he gets his 4th MVP, he ties Bob Petitt's all-star record!

As expected, he tied Bob Pettit's record!!!!!! YES! One more time, he sets a record for himself, which I strongly suggest Kobe to do! 

NBA is becoming a TRADE MARKET!

Best players of the NBA is being traded to the best teams. Now, the audience is waiting for the Playoffs only. Once these players all make it to the playoffs, the audience is focused. But now, the games are just one team being dominant and the others being loose. NBA is not fun any more!

Deron Williams was traded to New Jersey Nets. Although I like the fact that Nets are becoming stronger because Nets are my home team. But, this is just not fair. All the best players are being traded and teams that used to be strong are one of the weakest.

Now, the biggest trade of the month was Carmelo and Chauncey's trade. Those two players were traded to New York. All the best players are being crowded in the Heat, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, and Celtics. If you see the All-stars game. West and East were all composed of players from the best teams.

THIS IS NOT RIGHT! Like the Lakers, good players should be in one team and they should be scattered so that each team has the equal amount of skills. Now, it's obvious who's going to make it to the Playoffs....

LA 2011 Dunk Contest (BLAKE GRIFFIN's TIME!!!)

I'll be honest with you. This contest was Blake Griffin's no matter what happens.

The Rules are:

Looks easy? This is probably the most intimidating and the most difficult event through the whole weekend.

This contest was fierce all the way through! I expected the dunk contest to be another lame event. But this event's level of difficulty was through the roof! Javale Mcgee showed a two basket, two balls dunk. In addition, Demar Derozan showed a behind the back, between the legs dunk. In addition, Serge Ibaka showed a "behind the free throw line" dunk. These are all tasks that were never tried before in the NBA. However, in the first round, Blake Griffin showed something that was improbably difficult dunk. He showed the "free throw line 360 spin overhead tomahawk" dunk. This dunk deserved a 50/50, but it only got a 49.

The second round'd competition was even more fierce. However, it was no match for Mcgee and Griffin. Mcgee showed a three ball dunk. Can you even imagine a man dunking three basketballs in one jump? I couldn't.... But now, I know it's possible.
Take a look,

See what I'm talking about? The moment I watched this dunk, I was mesmerized.... I thought the dunk contest was complete. But now, I don't think so. Blake Griffin came up with a dunk that was just out of scale. Take a look at this, 

He Jumped over a CAR!!!! This dunk was out of control. Although I want to give a ten for Mcgee. Seeing this dunk made me give Mcgee a much lower score. This weekend was just crazy.

The winner of the dunk contest was Blake Griffin and there is no doubt that he should have been the winner.

3-Point Contest!

There are five different shooting rounds and there are four balls that are worth 1 point and 1 multi-colored ball that are worth 2 points in each rack. The three best scorers of the first round advances to the final round! 

Participants are: James Jones (Heat), Daniel Gibson (Cavs), Ray Allen (Celtics), Kevin Durant (Thunder), Durrell Right (Warriors), and Paul Pierce (Celtics).

In this case, Paul Pierce, James Jones, and Ray Allen advanced through the first round and made it to the second round. However, the other three that didn't make it to the 2nd round deserved it (my opinion). First, Kevin Durant is the best scorer of the NBA. However, his 3-point shooting style is not the type that can win a 3-point contest. During games, he uses his legs a lot, so in a contest where he has limited time to shoot, his shooting style is not the right type. Daniel Gibson and Durrell Right are two players who I really like. However, these players are also the type of players that need someone to pass the ball to. When they are the option in the perimeter, they are very dangerous players.

Paul Pierce, the defending champion, is not a player I like to commend on. This player is slow, rotund, and not the right type of shooter. I don't like his shooting form. To be honest, I don't like this player. So, I won't say anything except that he did horribly this contest.

James Jones, the champion, is a very well-rounded player. His shooting form is very well adjusted. Though he's a player who also likes to be fed on, he did an outstanding job that day.

Ray Allen, the all-time 3-point shots leader, should have won the contest. His skills are outstanding and as a all-time leader himself, he should've won the contest. I hope Ray wins the next contest!

Allstar LA 2011! The moment I've been waiting for all this month.!

Allstar LA 2011 is THE MOST AMAZING EVENT IN FEBRUARY. There isn't another event that can even compete with it. The first event I will be talking about is the Taco Bell Skills Challenge.
The participants this year are Stephen Curry, Russel Westbrook, John Wall, Derrick Rose, and Chris Paul.

All four of these players are excellent as point guards in their teams. The defending champion from last year is Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. This player was unable to defend his title as the skills challenge champion. However, in my opinion, if he tried harder, he was definitely able to get to the final two. Derrick Rose is my favorite player of all point guards, currently. This player tends to be very quick and drives to the rim many times. His quickness is his greatest strength. However, his weakest strength is the ability to shoot. Although he is a descent shooter, his shooting skills are the worst of all the high-rated skills he has.

The person that also shocked me during this contest was John Wall. John Wall is a rookie with amazing talent. He was the number one overall draft pick of 2011 and is showing one of the greatest skills the NBA has seen. In his glooming career, showing his appearance in the all-star skills challenge is a great honor. As a result, this player shows not only great skills, this player showed his potential to become the next greatest point guard. 

However, in a fierce competition like this, there is only one winner. The final two contestants were Russel Westbrook of the Oklahoma Thunder and Stephen Curry of the Golden state Warriors. These two players are also one of my favorite players in the NBA. They both show great athleticism and they are also good shooters. These point guards were in a fierce competition that day. 

The winner of the two was....

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors!

However, the special "thing" about this event was that the winner's partner, an high school student, will receive a $30,000 scholarship to their college fundings. As a result, Stephen Curry's partner, who is also from Golden State, received a $30,000 dollar scholarship! How fortunate....

Jan. 30th 2011

2011 LA All-Star games will be Open!

This is one of the hottest events that are hosted by NBA annually. This event composes of many events such as: 3-point contest, skills challenge, all-star game, and the dunk contest. These challenges can be very entertaining but sometimes become the most boring game ever. For example, last year's dunk contest was solemn because there was no intense competition. Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks, currently in Boston Celtics, took over the dunk contest without any intensity. Chris Anderson of the Denver Nuggets had numerous dunk attempts for a dunk that was improbable for his athletic abilities.

HOWEVER, I think something is going to happen in the dunk contest this year. Blake Griffin and Ibaka are going to my two finalists. They both have the physical standards and the athletic ability to achieve a dunk that is probably never tried before. Both of those players were assigned with dunking coaches who are Kenny and Kevin Durant. They are both going to be very helpful for them because themselves are well-known for being excellent dunkers.

Not only the All-star game, I'm looking forward to the Lakers and Heat game. The first time those two teams met were just lame. That game didn't have any competition. It was the Heat taking over the game easily. I hope to have some anticipation and nail-biting moments because the last game was a waste of time for me when I waited until midnight to watch that game.

I also learned a very interesting fact today. As the All-star games are starting to be organized, they have to pick the members for the team. And I realized that Kobe Bryant was selected for the All-star team for the 13th year. This is an amazing experience for any player. Congratulations to him as well.

Oh, by the way, I'm creating a new corner of my blog called "Michael's Talk-time"; this corner is going to be presented every month, probably at the end for anticipation!

Michael's Talk-Time

Today, I want to talk about some basketball shoes. These days, my interests in basketball shoes have increased too much. I'm saving all my allowances and change just to buy a new shoe. These are the two shoes that I'm mainly interested in.

This is the Nike Zoom KD product. It's very new and it's a shoe for Kevin Durant for the All-star games.

 This is Nike's product, Nike Hyper Dunk. The picture's shoe's color is completely designed by myself. I am looking forward to ordering this shoe. 

Anyway, Thank you and see you next month!

Jan. 26, 2011 What happened today?

Today was an amazing day for LA, CHA, and a guy in Sacramento.

First of all, LA had one of the best games in this year's season. They beat Utah by 29 points! I understand that if LA beat a team like Sacramento it wasn't even surprising to me. However, the fact that Utah was their opponent is what astonished me. Utah is one of the most competent team in the league and possesses one of the best point-guards in the leagues as well. Utah should be one of the teams that are leading the league with a very good record.

Deron Williams is one of the best point-guards in the NBA. He is highly recognized for his dribbling skills and ball-handling skills. His court vision is not as famous as other famous point-guards, however, his dribbling skills and his fundamental basketball skills are already exemplary.

Secondly, Charlotte Bobcats win a 5-point leading game against the Sacramento Kings. Although this was a quiet competent game until the last 1 minute of the 4th quarter, D.J. Augustin's assist for Jackson's three-pointer basically ended the game making Bobcats have a easy victory against the Kings. This was surprising to me as well because Bobcats were enjoying the half-time show.

During the half-time show, a man participated in a 3-pointer shooting contest for the Kings. Kings faculty hosted this event to advertise Benz-Mercedes and lift the crowd by giving a motivation. As a result, a man dressed in ordinary outfit comes out to the court and shoots 4 shots and makes three. As a result, that man receives a Benz-Mercedes car. This is the SECOND car the Kings gave out this year! The guy that received the Benz-Mercedes must be enjoying the best day of his life.

http://www.nba.com/video/#

This is a video I was watching constantly over the weekend.... This is SICK! Andre Iguodala, one of the best players in the NBA, is becoming better day by day. The thing that's so special about this play is that it's a 5-point play! With the 3 pointer and a foul, connection after the miss from the free throw line is just purely amazing.

In addition to that, DJ Augustin was a brand new player for me. I only heard his name from my friends a couple of times, but he was a star on the other night! The thing I love about this video is that he was about to lose the ball at any moment, but he just got a difficult jumper to curl in to the basket!

http://www.nba.com/video/#