Le Basketbawl

The Boston Celtics will face the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night at the Staples for game six of the 2010 NBA Finals which will be telecast on ABC at 9:00 pm EDT. Of course the game will be broadcast live all over the Planet; a fact that we take for granted. But there was a period of time when the NBA Championship series was broadcast on a taped delayed basis at 11:30 pm and New York Vinnie is not talking about the early days of TV when the technology had yet to be invented.

This was back in early eighties when the series was broadcast on CBS and the Network did not think it was necessary to put the games on live because the ratings were terrible. So the Network put the games on usually about two and a half to four hours after the game had actually started. New York Vinnie remembers that Magic Johnson getting his first NBA Championship was on tape delay as was the same the next season when Larry Bird would win his first NBA Title.

Those two players and their respective teams; the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics were the reason why CBS went back to showing the Finals live. TV ratings started going up as Johnson and Bird basically took the NBA out of the sewer and put them on an evening playing field with the NFL and Major League Baseball. Those two cats pretty much saved the NBA and the Michael Jordan came in and started getting attention and the Association grew healthy and prosperous.

Beginning in 1980 NBA Finals either Los Angeles, Boston or sometimes both were in every edition of the series until the 1989 Finals. And folks across the country picked one or the other team to root for. Celtics fans can not stand a Lakers fan and the same holds true in reverse. Bird and Johnson brought back fans to the NBA who had lost interest years before and more importantly brought new fans to the sport.

Thirty years later the rivalry is no less intense as the Celtics and Lakers have shown in this series. Boston leads 3-2 after game five and that means the Lakers have to win out to grab their second straight Larry O’Brien Trophy. Through the first five games this series has been incredible; even for those of us who do not have a rooting interest in the series. What we have been witnessing is two heavyweight boxers going toe to toe every game. Its like Ali and Frazier except a whole lost less bloody.

This has been a tough year for the NBA in a lot of ways: The Arenas gun incident, Allen Iverson signing a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and leaving after less than a month just top the list. There was a boatload of Crappolla that floated through the NBA in this soon to be completed season. But after this series most NBA fans will forget about the garbage and instead will remember a great series pitting two Champions against each other. And after every game you could truly believe that the players left everything they had out on the floor.

The Boston Celtics are not supposed to still be playing in the NBA Playoffs according to conventional wisdom. They were supposed to be easily eliminated in the second round of the Post Season by the Cleveland Cavaliers. And once they got past them they were supposed to fall victim to the Orlando Magic who had gone undefeated in their first two rounds of the Playoffs. But Boston shocked the Planet getting past the two higher seeded teams in the NBA Eastern Conference and are now in the midst of battling the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

In game one of the Championship series Los Angeles pummeled the Celtics winning the game by a final of 102-89 and in the aftermath of that contest all the talk was about how old and lethargic a team from Boston was compared to the Lakers. Many people were saying it was just a matter of when the Lakers would win the Finals after that first game as once again the Celtics were said to be down for the count.

The tone of that conversation changed on Sunday night after game two of the series as Boston would pick themselves off the mat and defeated Los Angeles 103-94. The Celtics guards led their club to the victory as Ray Allen set an NBA Finals record by knocking down 8 buckets behind the three point line while Rajon Rondo got himself a triple-double. The series now goes back to Boston tied at 1-1 with the Lakers no longer having the Home-Court advantage and the next three games to be played in Boston.

How do the Celtics keep on defying the odds and keep climbing out of the grave after a couple of shovels worth of dirt have already been thrown in? New York Vinnie sees a “Team” first of all in the fullest sense of the word; a group where everybody is concentrating on the whole not their individual parts. New York Vinnie also believes that these guys are filled with what makes up the heart of a Champion: Grit and determination as well as being to stubborn to say no. And although they may not be as athletically gifted as they once were they have gained wisdom through experience.

There is now the possibility of this series never heading back to Los Angeles if the Celtics win the next three games. New York Vinnie does not believe it will be that easy for the team from Boston but you can not rile out anything with this team; except for the fact that every night they will go out there and leave it all out on the floor.

Your Old Pal New York Vinnie has been dreading the thought of writing this column over the past few days more and more. So let us get the bad tasting medicine out of the way very quickly by stating that it looks like New York Vinnie is going to be wrong about the Los Angeles Lakers going to the NBA Finals this June. New York Vinnie has been beating the Frickin Drum Loud and Hard that the Lakers would not represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. And right about now it appears that Los Angeles is pretty close to a lock to get that slot.

Now New York Vinnie is NOT saying that the Lakers will win the NBA Finals; just that it is looking more and more likely that they will play in the series. If the Cleveland Cavaliers represent the Eastern Conference then New York Vinnie will stick with the Cavaliers winning it all. But if and when that happens we will get to that at a future date.

When the NBA Western Conference Playoffs started there was an incredible amount of talent on the floor and New York Vinnie was convinced that the Lakers would be knocked out in the West. Especially after the Oklahoma City Thunder gave them a tough time in the first round.

However the Denver Nuggets lost to the Utah Jazz as well in the first round and the Dallas Mavericks fell to the San Antonio Spurs in the same round. We are now deep into the second round and the Lakers lead the Jazz 3-0n in their series while the Phoenix Suns have the Spurs on the ropes at 3-0 in their series. So barring any miracles we are looking at a Western Conference Finals that would have Lakers hosting the Suns in game one of that series.

So now the question becomes:  Is there anyway that the Phoenix Suns if both teams stay healthy can beat the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals? In New York Vinnie’s opinion; not a chance Phoenix will be lucky to get one win in the series if the rosters remain intact. In other words as long as everybody stays as healthy as they are New York Vinnie does not see the Suns matching up well against Los Angeles.

Let us take a look at the starting five of the Lakers:

Derek Fisher, PG

Kobe Bryant, SG

Andrew Bynum, C

Pau Gasol, PF

Ron Artest, SF

And now here are the Phoenix Suns starting rotation:

Jason Richardson, SG

Steve Nash, PG

Jarron Collins, C

Amar’e Stoudemire, PF

Grant Hill, SF

The only advantages New York Vinnie sees are Stoudemire  and Steve Nash. J-Rich is having a nice Post Season but can he possibly match-up against a future Basketball Hall Of Fame inductee? Bynum, although he stunk up the place Saturday can still ball. And if he doesn’t improve; you switch Gasol to the pivot and Lamar Odom in the power forward position.

So Lakers this is New York Vinie’s apology forthe lack of respect and thinking you could not be focused enough to have the chance to get back to the NBA Finals. However If Phoenix does pull off the upset; New York Vinnie will ride you all summer like a Harley 750 down an old Frickin country road!

You can tell it is Spring in the Northeast as the trees are now starting to bud; the flowers are now starting to bloom and the NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday. We have made it through yet another Winter and now it is New York Vinnie’s favorite time of the year; when the playing starts to get serious in “The Greatest Game On Earth!”

Even though it is yet another season with “MY BOYS” the New York Knicks going home after 82 games; it does not diminish New York Vinnie’s interest in the Post Season one bit. There is some new blood coming into play with first time visits from the Charlotte Bobcats and the Oklahoma City Thunder and some great teams are going to be on the hardwood over the next  few weeks. And New York Vinnie firmly believes that we will have a new NBA Champion at the end of the Finals and it could just be the Cleveland Cavaliers. However New York Vinnie will address that matter at another time.

One of the hardest tasks in all of Pro Sports is to win back to back NBA Titles; that is why it has not happened in quite  a few years. New York Vinnie told you last summer that the Los Angeles Lakers would not win the NBA Finals this June and in fact will fall short of making the Finals. New York Vinnie is even more convinced of it now than when I wrote it last year. The handwriting is on the wall for all those who care to see it; the Lakers are a team with a whole bunch of problems.

Do they have talent? Of course they do; otherwise they would not have the best record in the NBA Western Conference. However whether it is Dallas, Denver or San Antonio there will be another team representing the West in the Finals. There are too many obstacles for Los Angeles to make the NBA Finals for the third year in a row; in fact New York Vinnie has a list of them:

1) Kobe is not the same player he was last year: Last year Kobe Bryant strapped the team on his back and with some help from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom he carried to an NBA Championship. Bryant is too banged up this year to be able to do the same. New York Vinnie has written many times that I have great respect for Kobe as a warrior and nobody can ever question his courage. But too many years of playing through injuries have caught up with him this year.

2) “Coach Zen’s” act is getting way too Frickin old: New York Vinnie has also written many times that you have to give Phil Jackson his propers for what his teams have accomplished. However this year his Crappolla has been too Frickin much to take! For some reason “Coach Zen“  has a mad-on for Pau Gasol and rips the guy a new one every time he gets hurt. Yet he seems to have no problem when Andrew Bynum is out of the lineup every other week because he chipped a Frickin nail! His recent comments about the officiating is nothing but mind games; trying to get into the referees heads before a series even starts. And then he acts all Nicey-Nice and innocent and says he can not joke with reporters!

3) Injuries and Age: New York Vinnie mentioned all the dings that Kobe has but there have been other issues with injuries such as with Bynum and Walton. Now everybody mentions the fact that the Boston Celtics have some older players but the Lakers are no Frickin babes in the woods either! Derek Fisher is 35, Bryant is 31 and Ron Artest is now 30. That is three of your starters; all north of thirty.

4) The X Factor: New York Vinnie has to admit that so far this season Ron Artest has been a model citizen for Los Angeles and has caused no problems. However the season is not over yet; and Artest is like the dynamite that Ilana had this week on “LOST.” Very unstable and liable to blow up at anytime!

5) Lack of motivation: The thing that has kept man going since “Ancient Times” is the desire to reach the top; that is why men have climbed the tallest mountains and been to the moon. But you lose that hunger once you have gotten to where you want to go. That same drive or desire is no longer there; and that can be the difference in winning and losing in any aspect of life. The Lakers cannot possess that same hunger that they had a year ago; a hunger that other teams still need to satisfy. That in New York Vinnie’s mind may be the biggest reason why the Los Angeles Lakers will not be in the NBA Finals in June.

If you have followed the NBA over the last few years there is no doubt in your mind that Kobe Bryant is a very tough man. Last season New York Vinnie took the “Black Mamba” to task for not having a procedure done at the start of training camp that would have gotten rid of the Frickin pain he was feeling in his pinkie finger. However Kobe did not want to miss any of the season and the Lakers All-Star was up to the task playing all season long and leading his team to the NBA Championship last June.

There is also no doubt that Kobe Bryant is a very stubborn man; Bryant makes a decision and then finds it really hard to back down. He is also in a situation that he calls all the shots on when  and if he will play injured or not. In Los Angeles Kobe is the “Emperor” and nobody is about to tell him there is something wrong with his “New Frickin Clothes“!

It is time once again for New York Vinnie to tell you a very famous story about the “Emperor And His New Clothes.”  Way Way back in the olden times there was a country that was ruled by an Emperor who thought that he was always right and he would surround himself with staff that would back him to the Frickin hilt!  One day these two Frickin Con-Men show up at the Palace and they say they are the “Finest Tailors In All Of The World” and that they want to make the Emperor the Frickin Sharpest Suit that has ever been made out of this brand new “Special Material.”

Well as New York Vinnie wrote above these guys were con-men, and they were out to rob the Frickin Emperor. So they decide to play on his vanity. They say they have this incredibly special silk that only Highly Frickin Intelligent folks can see. Truth was this Frickin Pair Of PUDS had nothing in their Frickin hands except for Frickin air! But the Emperor was ashamed to admit he could see the silk so when the Frickin Con-Men started to OOOH And AAAH the Emperor did the same.

Now all the Emperors Frickin Royal Advisers were brought in and told about the special material; none of them wanted to seem like Frickin Dim-Wits so they all pretended they saw it as well! The suit was Frickin expensive as hell and the Con-Men got their money and went on their way.

The next day the Emperor went out to show off his new suit. Everybody pretended they could see the suit except for one old senile lady. This woman walked up to the Emperor and asked him why he was walking around stark Frickin naked. The Emperor and his advisers were outraged; and told the woman she clearly was not intelligent enough to see the special material. The  Old Lady would have the last Frickin laugh though as she walked up to the Emperor and pulled a clump of hair off his chest and handed it to him!

The Los Angeles Lakers do not have someone on that club that is going to tell Kobe what to do. It sure is not going to be Coach Zen who spoke with the “Los Angeles Times” about his star. Jackson told reporters “I don’t see why unless he’s hurting the team out there and there would be a long-term situation in which if he played now, it could affect him for five to 10 games later on. The team would have to suffer with him on the floor. We’re not at that point yet.”

New York Vinnie has a question for you; if that point had occurred do you think Jackson would have the stones to tell his All-Star? New York Vinnie would say no Frickin way is Jackson going to say a thing. A reporter asked Kobe if he was planning on playing Friday against the Clippers. Bryant responded “That’s insulting.”

New York Vinnie admires The Black Mamba’s attitude that he does not want to show weakness. However New York Vinnie knows that the Frickin inmates can not run the Frickin Asylum. That is what seems to be the relationship that has developed in Los Angeles. What Kobe wants Kobe gets! It worked last year but will it work again this year?

New York Vinnie will tell you this; Kobe Bryant is not doing himself or his team any favors by playing through the pain. Get healthy and come back at full strength when it means something. Sometimes it takes a real Big Man to admit they are wrong. Is Kobe Big enough to do that ?

Doesn’t it seem to you that every time Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson talks about his big man Pau Gasol there is kind of a Frickin derisive tone in his voice? Like he truly has no respect for the guy and he thinks he is a “Frickin Sissy Boy” who just is not tough enough for “Coach Zen’s” standards? That is the way that he comes off to New York Vinnie and I really don’t understand why he does it. Does he truly believe that that is the way to motivate his player; to call out his Frickin Man-Hood?

In New York Vinnie’s neighborhood that is the worst thing you can do to a man is to call them out for not being Frickin tough enough. In New York Vinnie’s neighborhood people have died for calling out somebody else’s  Man-Hood; that is no exaggeration! That is hitting somebody where they Frickin live; if you catch New York Vinnie’s drift.

New York Vinnie learned a long time ago not to judge anybody until you have walked a Frickin mile in their Frickin shoes. There are some poor souls out there that are constantly bombarded with Frickin pain from morning until night and they still do what they need to Frickin do. In New York Vinnie’s eyes people like that are incredibly Frickin tough.

According to the “Los Angeles Daily News” Gasol could be out until the end of the week as he recovers from a strained left hamstring. The veteran suffered the injury on January 3, against the Houston Rockets and has not played since. Jackson has been rather snide in his remarks ever since his big man got injured. He told reporters “Any time Pau has an injury we’re concerned.”

If the Lakers were deep into the Frickin season trying to secure a Playoff spot that would be a different story. But the team has the best record in the NBA and it is not even half-way through the Frickin season. What exactly is “Coach Zen’s” problem? Why is he not handling Gasol like Celtics coach Doc Rivers is handling Kevin Garnett?

Garnett has missed the last few games with injuries but Rivers does not want his star to rush back saying he would rather err on the side of caution. In New York Vinnie’s mind that is how you do things. Jackson apparently believes that Gasol in a malingerer who is trying to milk this injury. New York Vinnie thinks that Jackson is just being a PUD for treating his player with such little respect.

The “Los Angeles Daily News” Monday reported that Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol may miss the game Tuesday night between his club and the Houston Rockets. Gasol has what has been classified as a mild to moderate strain in his left hamstring which caused him to play just 7 minutes Sunday as the Lakers bombed  the Dallas  Mavericks by a final of 131-96.

Gasol had a MRI performed on Monday which revealed the source of his pain. Gasol missed the first 11 games of the season with a strained right hamstring. Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson when asked about his veteran responded “Any time Pau has an injury we’re concerned.”

Doesn’t it always seem that Jackson wants to call Gasol out when he gets hurt? New York Vinnie keeps waiting for the day when “Coach Zen” says that his  big man is a “Frickin Sissy Boy” for taking as long as he does to return from an injury. New York Vinnie has written this before; there is no Frickin connection with your pain threshold and how much of a man you are. People have different limits; it has nothing at all about being tough.

New York Vinnie had always thought Gasol was soft until this past NBA Finals when we watched him go up against the best center in the current age Dwight Howard. After seeing the way Gasol rose to that occasion it convinced New York Vinnie that Pau Gasol is certainly not soft.

When it comes to a hamstring injury better to wait a day too long than to start a day too early. You rush back and you only make things Frickin worse. Yo, Phil; you got the best Frickin record in the NBA. You willing to mess that up so one of your players comes back too soon from being hurt? New York Vinnie would rather you react like Doc Rivers is doing in Boston. Better to be too cautious than not cautious enough.