Oklahoma City Thunder Visiting San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio looked out of sync when they visited Oklahoma City. The Thunder took full advantage and ran away with two wins to tie up the series. 21 turnovers in Game 3 alone does not help. Then the Spurs came out flat for Game 4 and with the lack of bench help for the Spurs, all of a sudden, the Thunder look to take control of this series and head for their first NBA final appearance.

There are several key things on why all of a sudden this is a series.

June 2, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) takes a shot over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha (2) during the first half of a playoff game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-US PRESSWIRE

1) The bench play for the Spurs have all but disappeared. While arriving to play in Games 1 and 2, the lack of bench production hasn’t helped the Spurs as they also had a hard time to score in the paint in Games 3 and 4. With Tony Parker only scoring 12 points on Saturday and Daniel Green only have seven points, it is more important for the Spurs’ bench to pick it up. Which leads to….

2) Parker, who was on fire in San Antonio, couldn’t find any rhythm in Games 3 and 4 and the lack of execution on the pick and roll hurt that interior scoring. He only scored 12 points in Game 4 and has had an atrocious time finding some type of opening against the defense of Thabo Sefolosha. The Thunder may have found a winning formula with Sefolosha guarding their go-to’s scorers, while causing five turnovers. While opened up for….

3). The Thunder’s not big three of Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka. On the road, combined, the trio only scored an average of 13 points while shooting a horrible 29%. A change of scenery changed those stats as the trio averaged 37 points and shot at amazing 78% from the field. The results? Two losses when shooting 29% and two wins when they shot 78%. So they key for Game 5 is……

May 31, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha (2) defends during the first half in game three of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

4) Key players need to show up. When in San Antonio, the Spurs’ big three came to play. With the extra boost of the home crowd, the bench players came to work. When in Oklahoma City, the Thunder’s stars took over, while their bench proved productive for the wins.  Momentum is on the side for the Thunder. But can they carry that momentum to San Antonio? We shall see tonight.

Boston Celtics Visiting Miami Heat

This series was suppose to be fast for the Heat. Many analysts predicted that the Heat would take care these old, aging, banged up Celtics in five games. And it was even looking like a sweep after two games and with Dwayne Wade dunk rejector, Avery Bradley, out for the playoffs. But with the resurgence of Ray Allen, the Celtics have notted this series up to two games a piece. Of course, there is always subplots to every story and this is no different.

June 3, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) drives to the basket in front of Miami Heat guard/forward Mike Miller (13) during the first quarter in game four of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

1) Rajon Rondo – On the floor at one time with five future Hall of Famers, Rondo has certainly stole the show. After his playoff history performance in Game 2 with 44 points and 10 assists and eight boards, Rondo continued his game streak posting modest numbers: 21 points, 10 assists and six boards in the Game 3 win and 15 points, 15 assists and five boards in a Game 4 win. He is their motor. He is their heart. Of course, he shows his bone-headed moves by grabbing four offensive fouls and a technical (he has 4 right now and if he gets to 7, it will be one game suspension). But by and large, without Rondo, the Celtics are nowhere near being competitive in this series. But the other big dog for the Celtics is….

2) Kevin Garnett. There has been so much talk about the resurgence of two old guys in this playoffs. Tim Duncan has looked like vintage Tim Duncan. The same can be said about KG. After a mid-season move to the 5 position, KG has dominated the bigs and it has started with establishing the low block. A high release, makes it difficult for any defender to get even close to contest it. And, as always, KG brings the defensive presence, no matter how old or tired he is. Think about this. In Game 3 alone, the Celtics outscored the Heat by 27 points when Garnett is on the floor. When is out? The Heat outscored the Celtics by 17. Which makes us wonder……

3) Where is Dwayne Wade in the first half? In Games 3 and 4, it is has become obvious that Wade is in hiding…in

June 3, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) drives past Boston Celtics power forward Brandon Bass (30) during the first half in game four of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

plain sight. First half belongs to King James. In Game 3 alone, Wade was 9-20 from the field and didn’t shoot one single free throw. That is a problem for the Heat and Wade. Maybe it’s the refs. Ultimately, this is a game refereed by humans and they’ll make human mistakes. And think about it. In Miami, Wade and James only got called for two fouls each in those games, resulting in a total of 8 fouls all together. You got to know that coming into Boston, you’re going to get called for more than 8 fouls in two games. That is just the way it is. Which leads me to….

4) Rondo’s comments. What he said was the truth (even he said it was the truth). The Heat were busy complaining about the lack of calls or bad calls that they failed to get back in transition. And that in itself is inexcuseable. Especially against an older, less athletic team (I mean, for christ’s sake, you literally got to be 30 and up to play for the Celtics). Refs are going to be bad, you just have to deal with them. Finally…

5) The bench (role) players have to play their roles. In Miami, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, played wonderful, while the Celtics’ bench players acted like they were just there to warm seats. And while Chalmers and Cole (they may have found the anti-Rondo-dote), in particular, played wonderful in Game 4, the Celtics’ bench awoke and helped their team to a victory. Keyon Dooling, provided three key three-pointers to help push the edge over.

Ultimately, these two series are now a best of three. Any pressure?

I think the pressure is on both the Western teams. Many people feel it should go to Game 7, but with all that championship experience, many feel that the Spurs should pull this out. But the Thunder have “championship material” written on them for years and with each passing year, the less patience their fans and critics have for them to achieve. So pressure is on both teams.

As for the East, the pressure is now on the Heat. After blowing a 2-0 series lead, they come back to Miami hoping to regroup (and maybe get Chris Bosh back) and get back to winning. A Game 5 win, will be pivital , as one team will have their backs against the wall. We’ve seen the Heat come together (after all that motivation from Indiana) and blow Indiana out of the water. But this is a prideful Celtics. You know they won’t take any punches laying down,it’s jsut a matter of them having enough gas to throw some of those punches back.

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.