Top Ten May Discussions (Playoff Edition)

1. Memphis lives to fight another day (at least another game)
The supernatural factor of Friday 13th obviously didn’t affect the Memphis Grizzlies as the Thunder basically handed Memphis a lifeline by playing in a way so bewildering, it just makes it unbelievable to think that they won 50+ games the past two seasons. But it’s about Memphis right now, they are just unbelievable. They are like true grit times 20. The decision to insert O.J Mayo into the starting lineup was a smart move as well, spreading the floor and allowing Zach Randolph to have more space to work with. And besides that, his defense was equally decent, 3 steals in the first quarter and a key pick off in the second half, he was the key for them tonight. Mike Conley was struggling again with his shooting tonight as the Thunder just dared him to shoot it from anywhere he wants, but he’s not making them pay yet. But watching Conley play tonight just showed how much he meant to this team, he just showed how to play the point guard position correctly.

Memphis’ defense in this game was amazing as well, everyone was on the same page the entire game, everyone that was covering Kevin Durant knew what they had to do, they were forcing him to catch the ball further from his comfort zone and roughing him up wherever it needed to be. Have I reached Randolph yet? It’s just amazing and heart warming to see an eighth seed show so much resilience and heart to win a game 6 coming from 14 down and extend the series. More on the Thunder below.

2. Michael Jordan’s legacy aided Derrick Rose and the Bulls

The Bulls have the best record in the East, and Derrick Rose is the MVP, those are all facts, but Michael Jordan factored in as well. If it was Derrick Rose on the Sacramento Kings, it wouldn’t get as much fanfare as it does now. It’s just like Michael Jordan’s kids, they will always be compared to their dad, even though they wouldn’t have half of the talent he had. The Chicago Bulls, until they win a title, will always be Jordan’s team, because of the amount of success that he had. Derrick Rose’s MVP campaign wouldn’t sound as good if he was winning the first MVP award ever for the Charlotte Bobcats, but it sure sounds much better if it was the first MVP award for the Bulls since Jordan. It’s like McBenny’s and McDonalds. So yeah, Jordan did his part in making D. Rose the youngest MVP ever. He made the platform and the podium, Rose just had to step up and receive it, technically.

3. Bulls – Heat Conference Finals would be boring
LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, wow that’s like 5 All-Stars, 3 MVP awards, multiple 20 ppg scorers and double double guys. And a huge amount of good playres on both teams, it should be a hell of a series right? On paper and during the season yes, but come on, everything that’s overhyped ends up being a let down no? But of course I wouldn’t want it to be a letdown, I mean, it’s the second last series to the end of the basketball season, and with an impending lock out, I wanna be able to watch as much basketball as possible before i have to turn off my TV and let it hibernate to hopefully October. So Chicago, Miami, Dallas, OKC and Memphis, please don’t let me down, please make it a seven game series everytime. I’m greedy.

4. Dallas’ time is NOW
Dallas haven’t been playing competitive basketball since giving the Lakers the broomstick, and they would be going up against a team that juat played a tough 7 game series, and they would be loose and ready. But the lack of play should give Dallas’ old juggernaut to have a huge rest and allow the Mavericks to be ready going into the Western Conference Finals. For Jason Kidd, realistically, this could be his last chance ever to win an NBA title as a starter or a huge contributor on a team, and this Mavericks team allows him to have that shot. Guys like Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, this represents their last chance to go into the NBA Finals. They have the quality to win the championship this season, their defense have improved from pedestrian to top ten, and their offense are still as lethal as it was when the defense was crap, coupled with the best closer in the NBA, this is it.

5. Doc Rivers?
Boston giving Doc Rivers a 5 year contract meant two things, first they are committed with sticking with Doc Rivers, who is quite possibly the best coach in the NBA after Phil Jackson’s retirement. Secondly, is Doc going too rebuild with this team and are the Celtics management patient enough to stick with Doc if they’re rebuilding in let’s say two years from now? It’s a deal that works for Rivers, but not necessarily for the Celtics. It’s also a step towards continuity as the Celtics are still holding that slim hope of winning another title with the big three and Rondo, and milk the big three till they are completely done. Man, it’s just like the Pistons ala 2006 all over again.

6. I CAN’T BELIEVE ORLANDO’S MEDIA
no, seriously, what the heck are they thinking? In a nutshell, they are both funny, and stupid. Dwight Howard should just not reply to anything at all and focus on what he does best.

7. Why the Heat shouldn’t be winning the title yet
Look, I’m not hating on the Heat or anything because even if you hate them, there’s no denying that for the next six years, they are going to be dominating the league, so yeah, there’s no point in that. But it’s the same thing when the Celtics got together in 08, I didn’t want them to win the title in their first year together because it sets a bad example. There wouldn’t be players like Kobe or Rose carrying their team along with a good supporting cast anymore, it would just be get three good players together and team up to win it all, now that’s bad. So it’s better I think, to just let them duke it out and lose this season, and maybe come back and make another run next season, I’d be down with that, it would be like the Heat in 06, I can live with that. Besides, karma has to strike LeBron for The Decision fiasco sooner or later.

8. Finding a switch for Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant

Fact, Russell Westbrook just shoots too much, and fact, he just makes it look like he’s freezing Kevin Durant out. I know they are good friends and everything, but the way he plays just seems to imply that. Cut that bullshit about him being aggressive and likes to take it to the hole, because there’s always a limit to that, no matter how good you are at it, great players know that, and Westbrook himself being a 2nd team All-NBAer this season, he should know when he’s hurting the team and when he is helping the team. He was helping the team when he was doing his thing against Denver, but right now against the Grizzlies, he’s hurting his team for the worse. And I’m not talking about him taking more shots than Kevin Durant, because that doesn’t matter. The thing that matter is, as the point guard of his team, his job is to get everyone involved, especially the most important player on the team.

After watching the Thunder play in the playoffs, I just get the feeling that Durant is soft, he just doesn’t like being roughed around. I know nobody likes that but that’s a sign of respect, you son’t see Shane Battier groping Daequan Cook in games. He is not reacting to that sort of defense like any of the greats would have, and he seems to be backing down from that challenge and that’s bad news for the Thunder. It’s not his shooting or his lack of shots, it’s both that makes him look soft and ineffective, while making Westbrook look like a ballhog at the same time, he has got to demand the ball and take the hits like he does during the regular season. It’s just like we’re seeing a different Kevin Durant during the playoffs right now.

9. Heat crying a sign of weakness or resolve?
Everyone’s making a big fuss about the Heat’s soap opera after closing out the Celtics on Wednesday, man, they are now crying when they are losing and when they are winning. Emotional this team is, but the thing is does it even matter whether they are crying or laughing or whatever they are doing? They won that series and moved on, that’s all to it. Like Lionel Hollins said, winners get to do whatever they want, so whether it’s crying or dancing, it’s their right. Michael cried when he won that first title, so why not the Heat? Beating them is a huge evil that LeBron could erase from within after what they did to him the last couple years.

10. Quality player you probably haven’t heard of yet.
Andrew Goudelock
probably the best shooter in college right now