May 10, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers small forward Andre Iguodala (9) makes the game winning free throw against the Chicago Bulls during the 2nd half of game six in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers defeated the 79-78 to win the series four games to two. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Philadelphia 76ers (79) vs Chicago Bulls (76)

76ers wins the series 4-2

Wow. I can’t believe the Bulls are out already. Yes, when Derrick Rose tore his ACL, there was still a hope. But then Joakim Noah got hurt and then that hope was just a flicker. And then Boozer is overpaid. And Luol Deng is not 100%. C.J Watson hasn’t been in this situation as the number 1 point guard and there wasn’t much life in the Bulls. They fought very hard though. And I agree with Charles Barkely on the after show. If you are a Bulls fan (and even if you’re just a causal fan) you have got to be proud of these Bulls. Without their two best players, they fought hard and was close for them to get home and try to close it out. Heck they were even down 12 in the fourth quarter, only to come back and allow only four buckets in the last couple minutes of the game. But Watson was put into a position that he isn’t comfortable or familiar with. 12 seconds left, people are trying to foul you but you give it up to a guy who is shooting 40% from the free throw line! And you’re about 80%. Even if you split the free throws, now the Sixers have to choose between going for the win or tying the game. By not hitting any free throws, any bucket will win and that was what Andre Iguodala did. Took a miss, ran up the court, recognize a 7-footer backpedaling and drove right at him. It wasn’t to say that it was a bad foul.

Statistically, Iguodala is atrocious at the foul line. Two for Nine when crunch time came. 22%. And he  had been criticized for years for not being the big time gamer. But these last two free throws? Piece of cake. He calmly walked up to the line and sank both of them. Why? Cause in front of a packed house of crazy Sixers’ fans and a desperate Bulls team watching, he was just showing his son, Andre II, how to shoot the ball. And while free throws is his kryptonite, thoughts of teaching his son how to shoot is the spinach for this Popeye. With those two free throws, the Sixers have earned the right to head to Boston for a Game 1 on Saturday.

Boston Celtics (83) vs Atlanta Hawks (80)

May 10, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett (5) puts up a shot during the fourth quarter of game six against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Boston Celtics won 83-80. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Celtics wins the series 4-2

Speaking of the Celtics, they too entertained basketball fans last night. Going down the wire, it was the old men of Celtics that stepped up. Let me rephrase, old man (KG if you are reading this, hope it motivates you by me calling you an old man). He is 35 going on 26 because the way he played last night, the way he put the team on his old shoulders, is a reason to shudder if you are the Sixers. Garnett had a monster 28 points, 14 boards, five boards in 39 minutes of action. And many of those points were in the paint, where he has often said, he doesn’t like to hang out as much because he’s, you guessed it, old.

Will his old legs keep up in the playoffs?

The Hawks, in my opinion, are better all-around than the Sixers, especially with Al Horford back in rotation, yet the Celtics found a way to still win. The Hawks have a much better point guard, Jeff Teague, (who surprised a bunch of people of his play and mostly out-played Rajon Rondo, who is considered a top point guard) than Jrue Holiday. I think that Al Horford, even playing his second game in the playoffs and not being in “shape” is a much better version of Elton Brand and Josh Smith is probably better than Spencer Hawes. We aren’t matching up position for position, but the personnel that surrounds the stars, I would go in favor of the Hawks.

But, the one thing the Sixers do have that the Hawks don’t, is the undying motivation to play. Too many times (and years while we are at it), the Hawks give up in both their body language and their play. They settled for too many jump shots last night in crunch time (or was it great defense?) and even when Joe Johnson took it to the hole and was blocked (or was it a foul?) that was only his second opportunity inside the paint. He lived and died on the outside. And that is what you know about basketball. Outside shots aren’t reliable, but the grit, the hustle, the determination, those are things you can count on night in and night out because those are just hustle plays. You don’t have to be the fastest, strongest or the tallest. You just got to want it more. And last night the Celtics did. It wasn’t without any controversy (seems to be a common theme in New England). Did Marquis Daniels foul Horford before the ball was in? Was that last play a foul on Rondo? Did Paul Pierce bump Joe Johnson? But referees calls (or mistakes if you’re a Hawks fan) are part of the game. You just had to deal with it. And while the Hawks will complain about the number of free throws (24-10 in favor of the Celtics), they had an opportunity at the end of the game to tie the game and Horford miss the first and MADE the second. And amazingly, the Celtics held the Hawks to only nine fast break points, which they had only in the second half.

The Celtics move onto the second round, now with home court advantage against a young Sixer team. Game 1 is slated for Saturday.

May 10, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) drives to the basket during the first half of game six in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

Denver Nuggets (113) vs LA Lakers (96)

Series tied 3-3

Ok of both LA teams, this was the team that I didn’t think that was going to go Game 7. I mean they played real crappy the other night in Game 6 but I thought they would come back and want to close it out quickly. Take the crowd out of the game. But two things happened. One Kobe felt like crap. And even though he put up decent numbers, 31 points and shot 57%, it wasn’t enough to help the Lakers close things out. He was the one guy, who even though had puked and used the bathroom too frequently, had enough courage and hustle to help keep the Lakers within reach. The rest of his teammates? Well they were nowhere to be found. After being out-sprinted down the court by JaVale McGhee, the bigs of the Lakers just disappeared instead. Pau Gasol, who I think is way worse than his brother Marc, had three points and three boards after going for 1 for 10 from the field. Andrew Bynum, well this showing clearly shows he has a lot of growing up to do, no matter how good he plays. He grabbed 16 boards and 11 points. But those 11 points were ghosts points.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are just feeding off the momentum they have built up. Ty Lawson, while fairly stifled in Game 5, exploded for 32 points. He scored wherever, whenever. Threes, lay-ups, pick and rolls. Whatever he wanted, he got. Complementing him was Andre Miller who had 12 points, Kenneth Faried who had 15 points, Danillo Gallinari who had 12 points and Corey Brewer who completed the game with 18 points off the bench. McGhee followed up his explosive night with only two points, but his havoc on defense cause tough shots for the Lakers all night.

And Kobe was being Kobe. Asked if his teammates matched his heart. He frankly said no. Game 7 means that Metta World Peace is back from suspension and will play. While he is not the savior for the Lakers, Kobe made no secret that he wanted World Peace back to help him.

“I expect him to come out and play with the tenacity that he’s known for,” Bryant said. “He’s the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with a sense of urgency and play with no fear. So, I’m looking forward to having him by my side again.”

To me that speaks volumes against his other teammates. They played poorly and maybe they played with fear. And it showed. But for the Lakers to win, they need a better output from those two big seven footers, cause you know that Kobe will be Kobe and he’ll play his MVP way.

Game 7 will be in LA. Tip off is 10:30 pm EST.

*Source: ESPN

San Antonio Spurs (106) vs Utah Jazz (91)

Apr 29, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; A general view of the seats before game one in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs between the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs at the AT

Everyone thought they were too old. Not enough legs. Washed up. Quietly, and I really mean quietly, the Spurs were making some noise in Texas. They have their own “Big Three” but no one talks about them. This season was the Heat’s to lose! But these Big Three have all joined the 10,000 point club, with Manu Ginobilli joining this season. And however old and washed up there were, they gained the number one seed in the playoffs. Guarantee home court advantage throughout the run. Tony Parker reminded everyone to keep him in mind when talking about the best point guard in the league. While he maybe not as flashy as Derrick Rose or even Chris Paul, he holds his own. And by far, he’s perfected the tear drop and no other pg in the league can say that. Scoring 28 points and dishing out eight dimes, Parker led the selfless Spurs to a victory against the Jazz. And Timmy? Well, at the “old” age of 36, Tim Duncan looks vintage Duncan. He’s not putting big numbers (17 points, 11 boards and five assists) he did enough to control the other big and get the win. And Manu was being Manu. Scoring when they needed to score and throwing up pieces of crap and getting them to fall. Everyone excepts the Spurs to win.I expect the Spurs to win. And they old geezers took a step in the right direction with a win against the Jazz. Next game is on Wednesday in Texas. Tip off time is 7:00 pm on TNT.

Oklahoma City Thunder (99) vs Dallas Mavericks (98) 

Apr 28, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots the game winning shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter in game one of the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Anytime you go against the defending champ, you play a bit harder. Why? Because all the media makes the champs to be the team to beat the next year just cause they won it a year ago. But the Mavs? Wouldn’t call it a fluke. Mark Cuban has been long building his team to championship caliber, they just didn’t perform. While it maybe a one hit wonder for the Mavs, it was no question they were the better team last year. Team. Yes Dirk is the man. Dirk and his high release point, his turn-around leg kick, the (less) floppy hair. But it’s one man. And it’s one man who is aging rapidly with aging teammates. It’s not like the Spurs. Their core consists of guys are a bit older, (most notably Tim Duncan) but their bench has a bunch of young guys. Dallas? Well they let Tyson Chandler go, who was a big deal in their quest for the title, Jason Kidd looks terribly older, JJ Berea, the energy for team is wasting away in Minnesota and they didn’t add any good pieces. Lamar Odom was a bust. I know. They are waiting for this year’s free agency, but as far as playoffs? Well it almost served them right to limp into the sweet 16. Kevin Durant made sure that this was no repeat from last year. Turning into an elite player himself (or even a MVP?) Durant won the game for the Thunder with a 15 ft jump shot over Shawn Marion. The shot was ridiculous. Highly contested. Highly superstarish. Did Durant just give us a preview of what’s to come? After all, I did pick the Thunder to play the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. After last year’s quick exit, Durant and the Thunder want to make up for last year. As for the Mavs, this the Thunder’s series to lose. Their days of glory are behind them. Game 2 is on Monday at 9:30 PM EST.

LA Lakers (103) vs Denver Nuggets (88)

Apr 29, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum (17) dunks in front of Denver Nuggets shooting guard Arron Afflalo (6) in the second half of game one of the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center. Lakers won 103-88. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

This maybe the most boring West series. Yes Laker land is playing, but they are playing against a way weaker opponent and it was clear that after one game, the Lakers are gonna take this in four. Now Denver has surprised a few folks during the shorten season, but they aren’t even close to comepeting with the Lakers. It was almost a good thing World Metta Peace was out, because it would have been more of a blow out. The Lakers have been here and they have Kobe Bryant. Whatever you may want to say about him, he is still by far one of the elitest players on earth to ever grace the NBA. And while his dramatics (on the court!) have been fewer and fewer, he still has two seven footers as teammates. After Andrew Bynum gets over his cry baby attitude (yeah I said it, grow up dude!) he is the only guy that can compete against Dwight Howard (the self proclaimed best big man in the league, although I admit, I’d take him on my team). Bynum proved it last night with a triple double, 10 points, 13 rebounds and a record 10 blocks. And this after he didn’t record a shot in the first quarter. He changed the game and he finally changed his attitude. After the game, the Lakers realized is that if they stick to their game plan, they may just have a first title in this era without Phil Jackson. Next game is Tuesday night at 10:30 PM EST.

 LA Clippers (99) vs Memphis Grizzlies (98)

Apr 29, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay (22) during the second half of game one in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. The Clippers won 99-98. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

What?!?! Did I write this right? (say that 10 times fast!) The Clippers are in the playoffs?!?! In the NBA, one or two or three guys can change your whole team around. After all, only five are on the court. And clearly, with all the ownership issues that Clipperland (sounds right, like Lakerland?) they managed to put a much much better team than they have in years! First, with a longer summer, Blake Griffin was able to get even that much more healthier. They matched Golden State’s offer for DeAndre Jackson. Then the trade of Chris Paul. Then they brought in vet Chauncy Billups (yes I know he is not playing for a while!). Then at the trade deadline there was a rumor that they were going to trade for Ray Allen, but the Celtics’ price was too high and they settled on Nick Young instead (looks damn good now, with Allen out and Young hitting three threes!). A culmination of all things and with a little help from the baksetball gods, “Lob City” has returned. I will admit, I switched channels on Sunday when I saw the Clippers down by 20 something. I thought, “You kidding me? You have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin! Paul did a ton of work when he was with the Hornets and he only had him and David West!” So when I turned back later and I saw the lead starting to dwindle I had to watch. It was prime time TV then. Young knocked out three threes to whittle the Grizzlies’ lead down to three. And you could tell by the attitude and the body language of the Grizzlies, that it was over. While the Grizzlies put a fight, the momentum had clearly swung in the Clippers favor. And the basketball gods must have answered their prayers for one night, because Griffin stepped to the line and sank both free throw. Griffin is a notorious bad free throw shooter. And now  they are again in the history books as they have tied the NBA league record for a comeback victory after three quarters when the Boston Celtics came back to beat the New Jersey Nets (remember them?) in the 2001-2002 playoffs. The only bad thing that happened for the Clippers was that Caron Butler has broken his hand. And there is no other big guards for Vinny Del Negro to go. But it’s not like the Clippers are going to win this year. It’s just a stepping stone. So for one night, Lob City had just much swagger and bragging rights as their rommates did in their home. Next game is Wednesday at 9:30 pm PST.