Shaq to Boston

Shaquille O'Neal appears to be on his way to the Boston Celtics. I don't hate the move at all. He's a lot like Perk, but better offensively, and if he's signing for the minimum then why not? Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Garnett-Shaq with Jermaine O'Neal, Glen Davis, Von Wafer, Nate Robinson, Avery Bradley off the bench. I like it, and now they don't have to wait and pray for Perkins to get healthy.

But can you imagine if this was the team in 2003?

2003 Stats (02-03 season)

Shaquille O'Neal - 27.5 pts, 11.1 rebs
Kevin Garnett - 23 pts, 13.4 rebs
Paul Pierce - 25.9 pts, 7.3 rebs
Ray Allen - 22.5 pts, 44% 3pt
Jermaine O'Neal - 20.8 pts, 10.3 rebs

Shaq & KG were 1st Team All-NBA
Pierce & Jermaine were 3rd Team All-NBA
All 4 were All-Stars

Check out some of my favorite Shaq moments over the years below...




-Keefe

Shaq and the NBA All-Star Festivities - Random thoughts

Not sure if you all watched the NBA All-Star game last night, but the Shaq intro was one of a kind. It's becoming more evident that 2009 will be the final season for the future HOFer, and he went out with a bang bringin Jabbawockeez into the fold. The routine was priceless and I gotta say, Shaqtus looked like he was a member of the group. Perhaps they'll rename the group "Shaqawockeez". Here's the video...and if you're wondering, the routine was done to the instrumental of the new Nas track "Hero". The video for that is below, as well. Solid track.

Shaqawockeez:



Nas - "Hero":



By the way, I had my brother DVR the slam dunk contest from Saturday night and I had a chance to watch it before the game tonight. Rudy Fernandez got jobbed. The contest is becoming similar to voting for Gold Gloves in baseball...if you won the year before, or if you're name is synonymous with it, you get a pass. That's essentially what Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson got. It was evident in the judging and in the commentary by TNT. The line that bothered me the most was when one of the color guys said, "No one in this building knows who Fernandez is except for the Fernandez family..." Moments later, they mentioned that it was supposed to be Rudy Gay but he got injured and THE FANS voted in Fernandez. So hold on, the fans vote him in, but no one knows who he is? How does that make sense? Then he tosses it behind his back off the backboard and throws it down hard and gets a luke warm reception from the commentators. The fans loved, they went nuts, and then he got a 42. Check out the video below that shows both his dunks and listen to the commentary. They absolutely hated on Fernandez and it was b.s. and unprofessional.

(Note: I had not seen this part of the dunk contest until Besse posted it. That is incredible. I normally like those guys, Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, and Kenny Smith, but come on. Did they do any homework? Harlan says Fernandez was only in the contest because he was voted on after the Gay injury... well that's half right. Rudy was voted on (beating out rookies Russell Westbrook and Joe Alexander), but well before Rudy Gay got hurt. Why was J.R. Smith invited then? Oh right, to replace Gay.

And then how about a round of applause for Miller and the Jet for not knowing who Fernando Martin was, who Fernandez wore a jersey of his in his tribute, then proceeding to make fun of the guy until Harlan told them he was not only the 1st Spanish player in the NBA, but died in a car accident. Tough effort TNT.)



-Bess

Celtics vs. Lakers: From 1987 to 2008

-Keefe

For the first time in 21 years the Boston Celtics will meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. It’s the match up everyone outside of Detroit and San Antonio wanted to see, and the way the Pistons played the 4th quarter in Game 6 and the Spurs effort, maybe everyone wanted another Celtics Lakers Final. This is the 11th time these two franchises will meet for the League’s Championship, with Boston holding an 8-2 advantage. Of course since their last meeting, over two decades ago, a lot has changed. The Lakers won in ’87, and added 4 more titles and 7 (8 counting this year) more appearances in the Final. Meanwhile the Celtics failed to win the championship, and have not made it back until this season.

In the years following the 1987 Finals both teams experienced unimaginable events that affected their franchises. The tragic death of Reggie Lewis and the diagnosis that Magic Johnson was HIV positive rattled not just the Celtics and Lakers, but the entire NBA. But it was the Lakers who were able to not be labeled, simply a great team of the 80’s, known solely by their storied history. The Lakers beat the Celtics in ’87, then captured back-to-back championships for the first time in Los Angeles’ history in ’88 beating the Isiah Pistons in 7 games, right before Detroit won two in a row. They made another Finals run in ’91 with Magic but without Coach Pat Riley. As we all know they lost to Jordan’s Bulls as that era began, and Magic and the Showtime Lakers were never made it out of the West again.

The 90’s ran out and Phil Jackson teamed up with a 27 year old Shaquille O’Neal and a 21 year old Kobe Bryant. LA ripped off 3 straight titles led by Shaq and Kobe. The Lakers were back! They beat the Pacers, 76ers, and Nets a combined 12-3 in three consecutive NBA Finals. A run at a 4th banner was derailed by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and yes Stephen Jackson the next year. In 2004, Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined forces in attempt to win their first ring, reminiscent of Charles Barkley teaming up with Hakeem and Drexler in Houston. The All-Star Lakers did make the Finals, but lost to Billups, Rip, the Wallaces, and Detroit. Phil Jackson left the next year and the team failed to make the post season. Upon his arrival the Lakers returned to the playoffs only to bow out in the 1st round his first two seasons back, but now here they are, the favorites to win the NBA title.

What about the Celtics? What happened to them following the 1987 Final? Boston remained very competitive between 88-93, always finishing with a winning record and making the playoffs. Larry Bird retired after an injury plagued ’92 season that ended in a Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and the Cavs. It was then Reggie Lewis’ team. He made the 1992 All-Star team, and averaged 20.8 points per game in each of his final two seasons. The year after Lewis’s death, the Celtics were 32-50, and missed out on the playoffs. From 94-01, Boston was a combined 241-383, making the playoffs just once, and losing in the 1st round. The weakness of the Eastern Conference and the skill of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker did equal one conference finals run where they lost in 6 games to Jason Kidd and the Nets. This year’s Finals run came off of a well documented 24 win season where they were openly trying to get Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Had they got the number 1 or number 2 pick, who knows how many more years the Finals draught would have lasted.

Let’s take a closer look at the Celtics and Lakers in the past 21 seasons. (This takes into account everything after the Lakers win in the 1987 Finals over Boston).

NBA Championships:

Celtics – 0
Lakers – 4

Finals Appearances (counting 2008):

Celtics – 1
Lakers – 8

Years in the Playoffs:

Celtics – 12/21
Lakers – 19/21

Losing Seasons:

Celtics – 11
Lakers – 3

Coaches:

Celtics – 8 (K.C. Jones, Jimmy Rodgers, Chris Ford, Rick Pitino, Jim O’Brien, John Carroll, Doc Rivers.)

Lakers – 11 (Pat Riley, Mike Dunleavy, Randy Pfund, Bill Bertka, Magic Johnson, Del Harris, Kurt Rambis, Phil Jackson (2x), Rudy Tomjanovich, Frank Hamblen.)

All-Stars Players:

Celtics – 9 (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Robert Parish, Reggie Lewis, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen.)

Lakers – 8 (Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, James Worthy, A.C. Green, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant.)

Best Trade:

Celtics – Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, and draft picks for Kevin Garnett.

Lakers – Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, rights to Marc Gasol, and draft picks for Pau Gasol.

Worst Trade:

Celtics – Joe Johnson, Randy Brown, Milt Palacio, and 1st round pick for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. Also Chauncey Billups for Kenny Anderson.

Lakers – Caron Butler for Kwame Brown.

Diehard Fan:

Celtics – Donnie Wahlberg
Lakers – Jack Nicholson

Well as you can see these two proud franchises have taken different routes from 1987 to make this rematch happen here in 2008. I truly believe these are the best two teams in all of basketball and deserve to be here. After Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined the Celtics there were rumblings that, in the East, this team has a shot at the Finals. Then during the season, once Kobe decided he wanted to stay in LA, the Lakers had their young big man Andrew Bynum go down forcing them to hit the market. The beginning of February the Lakers made the most 1 sided trade in sports history (least in the conversation), and suddenly there was a legit chance of a Celtics-Lakers Final four months later. It gets started on Thursday in Boston and I am ready to go.

Early lean: Celtics in 7.

Western Conference Outlook

-Keefe

The Western Conference is as loaded as Tony La Russa behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. 10 teams post winning records, with 9 of them having 33+ wins as of February 21st. Only 5 games separate the team in 1st (New Orleans) and the team in 9th (Golden State). If the season ended today the Warriors would miss the playoffs, but if they were in the Eastern Conference, the Bay Area would be hosting a first round match up. The West was already wild, but all these trades have made it impossible to pick a favorite.

Shaq and Jason Kidd are both 0-1 in their debuts from last night. It’s going to take a little time for both of them to adjust. Shaq seems like a square piece in a round hole. He did play 29 minutes in just his first game in Phoenix, scoring 15 and pulling down 9 rebounds. Not a bad first showing, but they did allow 130 points and lose. Kidd had only 5 assists and 8 points for Dallas, as Chris Paul straight owned him.

Here are the 10 teams above .500 in the West, core players, with new acquisitions in bold. (In order of current standings.)

New Orleans Hornets:
Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, (Mike James, Bonzi Wells, if trade goes through).

Chris Paul is my MVP as of right now. Last night he had 31 points, 11 assists, and 9 steals against J-Kidd and the Mavs. He’s averaging 21-11 and shooting a pretty good percentage. West and Chandler can do all the dirty work and Peja is back shooting from deep. I’m not sure they can hold on to the top spot in the West or win the whole thing, but certainly not a team you would want to face. Can Paul carry them to the Finals?

Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, and the bench mob.

Right now I’m leaning towards picking the Lakers to win the West. And I’m a Celtics fan and hate the Lakers. The addition of Gasol, or should I say the thievery that was the Gasol deal has put this team over the top. Lakers are 7-1 with Pau. It’s going to be interesting to see how he and Bynum play together, but suddenly they have Odom playing a role that he is much more comfortable with. They don’t need to count on him to score, but he still does. Kobe is Kobe, and these guys look like they are headed to the NBA Finals.

Phoenix Suns:
Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw.

You can’t get crazy about last night no matter what happened in Shaq’s debut. It’s going to take more than 1 game to see how the deal will play out. Amare is going to put up ridiculous numbers (37-15 last night), but it does not matter if they lose 130s to 120s. Who’s playing defense on this team? Raja Bell? He gave up 40 last night to Kobe. Nash, Amare, and Shaq at this stage of his career, are not going to scare you at the defense end. I’m looking forward to Friday when Boston comes to town. Shaq’s first 3 games in Phoenix: Lakers, Celtics, Pistons. They could go 0-3. When they sent Marion to Miami they were the number 1 seed in the West. Now I don’t think they host a 1st round series. I know they had not made the Finals with the current Big 3 of their own (Nash, Amare, Matrix), but this year with the make up of the West I thought they could have. We’ll see.

Utah Jazz:
Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Paul Millsap, Matt Harping.

It doesn’t get a whole better for a 1-2 punch in basketball than Williams and Boozer. The addition of Korver has given the Jazz a whole new element to their attack. I love the combination of talents they have here, with bangers like Boozer and Millsap, shooters in Okur and Korver, slashers in AK-47 and Brewer, and of course one of the top point guards in the game in Williams. This is just another team in the West that you could not be shocked if they won it all. Early prediction is that the Jazz lose in the conference finals to the Lakers.

San Antonio Spurs:
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, Damon Stoudamire, Kurt Thomas.

No one is talking about the Spurs. Maybe we should be. As soon as you count them out you’ll see Tim Duncan holding the Championship trophy in the air for 5th time in his career. But still, like everyone else, I’m not convinced they will be there. They have been winning it every other year, so maybe it’s not meant to be. What a great gift for a top 4 seed it would be to have to face the Spurs. Good luck.

Dallas Mavericks:
Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, Brandon Bass, Eric Dampier.

I’ll be honest I liked the Kidd deal, and I don’t think that they gave up too much to get them. Devin Harris and what else? The two first round picks will be low and a guy like Antoine Wright is only 24 and will be better than anyone they could get at the end of this years draft. Kidd still has something left in the tank, his rebounding and assists numbers are huge this year even though he has struggled shooting from the field. I did not think they could win the whole thing prior to the Kidd trade, now they at least have a chance.

Houston Rockets:
Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Skip to my Lou, Luis Scola, Bobby Jackson (if trade goes), Luther Head, Carl Landry.

I think the Rockets end up missing the playoffs. Even if they get in you can’t like T-Mac’s chances of advancing. Looks like they might be parting with Mike James and Bonzi Wells, and bringing in veteran point guard Bobby Jackson. (Jackson would be great in a Celtic’s uniform.) Despite being just 4.5 games out of first the Rockets will be fighting to make the playoffs for the rest of the year.

Denver Nuggets:
Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, Anthony Carter, J.R. Smith, Linas Kleiza.

Is there a more talented starting lineup in the league? Maybe not. But they have always had a hard time putting it all together. I think they do get in the playoffs even though they are one of the only teams in the West not to make a move. (As of now). These guys can obviously beat anyone on any given night, but what about 4 out of 7? You know they will score enough points. The question remains, is Camby enough on defense?

Golden State Warriors:
Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins, Chris Webber, Matt Barnes, Keleena Azubuike, Mickael Pietrus.

The Chris Webber addition doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a boost. He starts sure; I don’t see him as a major factor however. The way they shoot the 3, early and often, they can certainly beat anyone. Like the Nuggets it will be difficult for the Warriors to advance far in the playoffs. I know they beat the Mavs last year in the 1-8 match up. I say they do get in the playoffs led by Baron Davis, but it ends in the 1st round this year.

Portland Trail Blazers:

Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, Travis Outlaw, Jarrett Jack, Martell Webster, Steve Blake.

It was a nice run early in the season; they just could not keep up with all these great teams in the West. At 28-25 they have still surpassed expectations without Greg Oden. Definitely keep an eye on this team going forward. Brandon Roy has been great to watch and they play team basketball. Of the 10 teams on this list I have the Blazers and Rockets missing out on the playoffs in the end.

This list could get a shake up as the NBA trade deadline is minutes away. Players like Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, and more could be moving around. Who else will make a move? The next couple of months will be great, a lot of questions still left to be answered.

Matrix for the Diesel?

-Keefe

As the deal for Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks seems more and more likely I have to say, what the hell? What are the Suns doing? They have done all they can to get rid of bad contracts like Kurt Thomas, and sell draft picks so they wouldn't have to pay 1st round guaranteed money. So why bring in a guy making 20 million a year and who will celebrate his 36th birthday in less than a month? Shaq fits in about as well with the Suns fast paced offense as Sophia Coppola did with the cast of Godfather Part III. Shaq has missed 14 games this year and is averaging fewer rebounds than Jason Kidd so far this year.

The deal doesn't make sense to me in any respect. Ok so Shawn Marion wanted out of Phoenix before the year began. But the Matrix hasn't been playing any worse putting up solid numbers once again, just shy of 16 points and 10 rebounds on a team where they don't run any plays for him. He's also only missed 1 game all season. They are going to miss this guy more than they know. Not sure what Steve Kerr was thinking. Who is going to rebound for this team that takes and allows a ton of shots? Amare is not a great rebounder, and thats putting it nicely, and Shaq is no longer a double-double guy himself. Marion has led the Suns in rebounding 7 of the last 8 years, and that's not the only thing he brings to the court. One of the most overlooked aspect of Marion's game is his defensive abilities. He is a cameleon of sorts. Watch Marion play against the Spurs and on three separate trips he could be matched up with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. How many guys in the league can do that? And who on the Suns now can guard any of those guys beside Raja Bell?

One arguement for trading away Shawn Marion would be that the Suns haven't won anything with him, in fact they have not even made it to the NBA Finals, so why not mix it up? That's fine, but not for Shaq. It makes zero sense to me to bring Shaq, who has over 1000 regular season games under his belt for the fastest moving team in the game. "7 Seconds or Less" has been the mantra for the Suns with coach D'Antoni, does Shaq make it to half court by 5? If the Suns wanted a true center someone like Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby would have made a lot more sense because of their athletic ability, but both the Hornets and Nuggets are in the hunt and won't part with either of them.

Miami gets out of Shaq's contract, assuming this deal goes through, and that's a huge plus for them. Marion can opt out after next year, and if he really wants to me the man on a team, he won't be that with D-Wade in South Beach, he may be on 3 teams in less than a calender year. I know Marion wanted out of Phoenix but to go from a team with 34 wins (3rd best record) to a team with 9 (worst in NBA) is awful. It is a good move for the future of the Heat, but I still can't understand it for the Suns.

Phoenix's starting five right now would be Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaq, with Barbosa and Diaw coming off the bench. Is that better? Does that give them a better chance to win the NBA Championship? Marion may not have been the perfect fit off the court or in the locker room for this team, but he was on. I think his game suffers, as would anyones away from Nash, but so does the Suns overall game. Two of the four players they will be heavily leaning on are both currently 35 years old (Hill and Shaq) and very injury prone. Very surprising move to me as you can tell. The Suns currently have the best record in the West, but I would be shocked if they were a top 3 seed going into the playoffs. I hope they are, as I love the way they play... but I don't think they will be able to continue that up and down pace if this move goes through. Good luck.