NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Manu Ginobili is out. There is nothing the Spurs can do about that and it is a hard loss to take. Manu is often the X-factor that spells doom for the other teams. If they bully Parker and double Duncan then Manu kills them with his outside game or slashes to the basket for repeated layups.

Now the Spurs have faced injured players before and if that was all there was then they would not be so worried. Sure the Lakers are the odds on favorites to win the West, but the Spurs have triumphed before when the odds were not in their favor.

The real worry for the Spurs is age. Tim Duncan only has so many big games left in him. He already complains about knee problems and gets rested during back to backs.

When will Tim Duncan just walk away from the NBA?

Hey, you can shrug it off if you want, but we saw age finally conquer the Shaq and recently the Pistons.

But deep down, the Spurs know something else: At some point, there won’t be a next season. Not for Tim Duncan. If the past few months have proven anything, it’s that the clock has finally begun to tick for the Spurs and their greatest player.

For all the concern about Ginobili’s ankles, the Spurs’ success in these playoffs was always hinged to Duncan’s health. For weeks, Duncan has told friends how much his knees have bothered him, and that’s telling for one reason: He never complains about his injuries. The Spurs gave Duncan three games off to rest at the end of February, but he has continued to labor.

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Photo source Newscom

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

All you had to do was look at the Lakers team at the beginning of the year and they were the odds on favorites to win it all. Sure the Celtics were going to be tough, but think about it, they were getting older and had lost a few key players and maybe were not as hungry. The age factor especially was going to be an issue. You can only go so long without an injury or two when you play hoop for that long. Garnett, Allen, and Pierce have been playing that long.

Kevin Garnett is trying to decide who is better, the Lakers or Cavs?

But hold on here, haven’t we forgot a team? Like Cleveland?

Cleveland? Yeah, they actually present some odd match ups on the court that just seem to work because the best player on the planet is on their team. That would be LeBron James, but Cleveland is more than King James. Mo Williams and Delonte West with Anderson Varejao, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas give the Cav’s a unique mixture of size and defense that make LeBron even more effective.

Now it appears that the Cavaliers may take home court advantage into the playoffs.
Cleveland 61 victories
Lakers 59

But despite going 10-4 in March, the Lakers (58-15) are two games behind for the best overall record to the Cleveland Cavaliers (60-13) — who are 15-1 this month.

The Lakers are at the Charlotte Bobcats today in the sixth of a seven-game road trip, while the Cavaliers look to extend a franchise-best 12-game winning streak in hosting the Detroit Pistons.

Making up two games won’t be easy. “We’re certainly not going to win out,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson says of closing the regular season on a 9-0 run. “But we’ll continue to put pressure” on the Cavaliers.
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The Cav’s ended up beating the Pistons and the Lakers took down the Bobcats, so the difference still stands and the number of games are running out.

Don’t sneeze about it, home court advantage is huge!

Photo source Newscom

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Kobe Bryant is ready, but is Pau Gasol ready?

Image details: NBA Finals Game 4: Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers served by picapp.com

The Lakers blew it in game 4. A 24 point lead and still they did not win. The Celtics stepped up the defense and Paul Pierce went crazy on offense and that was it.

The Lakers have to face game 5 as a game to get respect.

Let me lay it out for you.

First off your leader has to be cool. Kobe Bryant is the ultimate cool right now.

Bryant insists the Lakers have moved on since their Game 4 collapse. There’s no time to dwell on what happened, all that counts now is what happens next.

“We’ve got to take care of business on Sunday,” said Bryant, who spent much of the past two days relaxing at home with his family. “So what are we going to do? How am I going to get my teammates in the right frame of mind, make sure they’re energetic, and that’s what it’s been all about.”

Bryant said he spent much of the past two days reading a Harry Potter book to his daughters.

“It was awesome,” he said. “He had more problems dealing with Voldemort than what we have dealing with the media and the Celtics.”

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Lord Voldemort? Hmm, that would be interesting.

Garnett goes up for a rebound and what is this? Lord Voldemort has pulled out his wand and, oh my gosh, the ball just exploded. Did you see that? Kevin Garnett is just lying on the floor in a crumpled heap.

Anyway, secondly you cannot think beyond this next game.

The finals are in a 2 - 3 - 2 format. The Lakers almost came from 20 down to win game 2, but did not. The Celtics came from behind to win game 4. That made the series 3 -1. Hopeless is the major feeling right now. No NBA team has come back from 3 -1.

Even if the Lakers can get up for game 5 after the major disappointment of game 4, they would still face game 6 and 7 in the house of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Not to mention the ghosts of Celtics past like Red Auerbach and Larry Bird. It is human nature to just not believe you can win all three games in a row, but you can always convince yourself to win the next game, the one right in front of you.

Third the Lakers have to play a complete game with enthusiasm. Derek Fisher is a veteran and understands the playoffs, but does Pau Gasol or is he and his other teammates just happy to be there?

Fourth, Kobe Bryant has to get hot. He cannot just dribble into the paint and dish off. If he is the best player in the league and Phil Jackson is such a good coach, then a new strategy has to be devised to make Boston unable to stop Kobe. Right now Boston is over playing one side of the court and it is working. LA has to find a way to get down low or get open shots on the weak side.

Back to game 5. The Lakers need this game for respect, and then if they lose in Boston, they lose in Boston and that is that.

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Can Paul Pierce take his injured knee and guard Kobe Bryant and still score points?

Image details: NBA Finals Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

Doc Rivers is cautiously optimistic about his two injured starters.

Pierce (sprained right knee) and Perkins (sprained left ankle) spent much of the media-access portion of practice riding stationary bikes, and coach Doc Rivers indicated he was more optimistic about Pierce’s chances of playing against the Lakers than he was about Perkins’s, even though the fifth-year center said he figured to be about 75-80 percent.

“There’s still aching in it right now, but it’s all right,” Perkins said of his ankle.

As for Pierce? “The swelling is down a little,” he said, after showing up at a news conference wearing a multilayered sleeve on his knee. “Still some stiffness, can’t quite all the way bend it like I want to, but it’s definitely a step forward.”
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In a classic, don’t say what you want to say comment, Derek Fisher of the Lakers had this to say about Paul Pierce.

“It obviously changes their personnel,” said Lakers guard Derek Fisher. “Paul is a very talented player. He’s their go-to guy in a lot of situations, so, for whatever reason, if he doesn’t play, then a lot of things change. It doesn’t mean that they’re any worse.

“I mean, they went on a 6-0 run while he was out, so I was pretty happy to see him come back,” Fisher added. “We played them pretty even after that, but that 6-point difference after he left continued to change the momentum of the game.”

If either Perkins of Pierce are missing for game two, the Celtics are a considerably weaker team. The pressure would be on Kevin Garnett, big time, to score and rebound. Who would guard Kobe Bryant? Sam Posey? Who would keep Gasol off the boards?

Even if they do come back, how effective will Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins be?

Coach Rivers will remain cautiously optimistic!

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NBA Finals - Let the games begin!

This series is unlike most series in a very dramatic way. Neither team has earned their way into the NBA Finals in the ordinary sense.

Hey, before you get all defensive, hear me out.

That earlier sentence did not say that either team did not deserve to be there. Both teams deserve to be there.

Will Kobe Bryant triumph over Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen?

Image details: Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers served by picapp.com

Just to be clear (Because my wife claims my ways to be wishy washy), my contention was that My Pistons (Authors note: exposing my personal loyalties) were the best team to beat a team from the West.

The problem with the Pistons is how poorly they matched up with the Celtics. Thus the Celtics would ultimately triumph over My Pistons.

In the West, it was Lakers all the way. Once Pau Gasol was added to the team to replace the missing height of Andrew Bynum, and to add another scorer that could shoot and occasionally post up, to Kobe Bryant, then it was clear that the Lakers would prevail.

Pick: Lakers over Celtics in 6.

What does everyone else think?

Willl the Lakers struggle with Kevin Garnett?

Will the Celtics struggle with Kobe Bryant?

What about the old rivalry in the sixties and who was Elgin Baylor?

Why Charles Barkley is choosing the Lakers!

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Tim Duncan at 32 is the baby in this group with Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry, and Kurt Thomas

Image details: San Antonio Spurs v Los Angeles Lakers, Game 5 served by picapp.com

Los Angeles Lakers stay young

The Lakers are a young team and their victory over the Spurs may cause some changes to the league.

San Antonio’s elimination might signal the end of its era of dominance. With Duncan leading the way, the Spurs won championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, but with a rotation made up solely of 30-something players except for the 26-year-old Parker, the future seems uncertain.

Meanwhile, starting guard Derek Fisher and seldom-used reserve Ira Newble are the only players on the Los Angeles roster over 30.

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Something happens to the body as it moves into its thirties. You don’t jump as quick or push as hard. The mind is still there, Read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Legendary Jerry West and Kobe Bryant celebrate winning the Western Conference title

Image details: San Antonio Spurs v Los Angeles Lakers, Game 5 served by picapp.com

The Lakers defeated the Spurs and earned a trip to the NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers rallied from an early 17-point deficit to beat the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs 100-92 on Thursday night and win the conference finals in five games.

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Stern rejoices

Commissioner David Stern could get his dream matchup of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics after all. Two big money cities, one from each coast, filled with championship lore, fighting it out for the NBA Title. What more could Stern even dream of? Well, how about the series goes 7 games?

The matchup he feared was the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Detroit Pistons. That series would feature a lot of defense and low TV ratings. Sorry, but when one team has a player known as the Big Fundamental and the other team features no one, it is hard to market to the world.

Consider that in Detroit the Hockey games have been drawing better than the Basketball games.

Pittsburgh’s 3-2 win on Wednesday night earned a 2.8 national rating and an 18.2 rating in Detroit, beating out the 15.9 rating for the Pistons’ matchup with the Boston Celtics.

Game 5 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals drew a 5.3 national rating.
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How can your host city be beaten by Hockey? You remember that sport, the one with the puck? Hockey and the Red Wings are huge in Detroit.

One final note and it is not even close, Boston and LA have been to more finals individually in Basketball than any other teams. Just look at all the titles that Red Auerbach won with Boston.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has won nine championships, tied for the NBA record with former Boston coach Red Auerbach.

Lakers fired up!

The Lakers could not contain their excitement. The Western Conference had so many teams that finished with close records that to finally win a trip to the finals was just too much to handle. It is a good thing the Lakers had home court advantage.

The Lakers are 12-3 in the playoffs, including 8-0 at Staples Center, where they haven’t lost in two months. They have won 14 straight home games and 21 of their last 24 postseason games at home.

“My heart’s still pumping, that adrenaline is still running from the game,” said Lamar Odom, who had 13 points and eight rebounds. “Maybe when I sit down and have something to eat, I’ll realize what just happened.

“We came out here, played our game, and won. It’s satisfying, but one more step.”

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The NBA Finals start next Thursday.

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A quick news rundown of game 2.

How can the Spurs come back from such a major beat down in game 2?

Los Angeles with Kobe Bryant playing at his peak looks more and more like the NBA Champions for this year.

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Kobe Bryant - from back spasms in game 4 to greatness in game 5

Image details: Los Angeles Lakers v Utah Jazz, Game 4 served by picapp.com

Kobe Bryant could not be stopped.

From passing that is.

Kobe had a sore back and was going to make Utah pay for it.

And they did.

The last 7 or 8 minutes of this game showed why Los Angeles is so dangerous as a team. The ball was moving all over the court, finally settling in Kobe’s hands sucking in the defense. Kobe would then drive to the hole and distribute the ball for a dunk or 3 pointer or easy jump shot.

If Utah tried to stop Kobe they fouled him and sent him to the line, where Kobe lived for his 4th quarter points. Kobe Bryant has beautiful foul shooting form and showed it once again with the game on the line.

The Los Angeles Lakers led the Utah Jazz all the way through the 4th quarter, but the margin was slim and the game was in doubt until the very end. Every time Memo Okur or Deron Williams would make a good play, Kobe had the answer. The answer was the Laker’s team and Kobe was the captain of that ship.

This time it was Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom leading the Lakers down the home stretch.

The two combined for 13 fourth-quarter points and the Lakers never trailed in a 111-104 victory over the Jazz in Game 5 of their Western Conference Semifinal series at the Staples Center on Wednesday.

Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 26 points, but it was Gasol and Odom nailing clutch shots in the final minutes to give the Lakers a 3-2 series lead.
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Kobe played in this game after suffering severe back spasms in the last game. It was doubtful he would be at full strength. Heck, it was doubtful he would be able to even play. Maybe that is why he took so few shots, but play he did.

They huddled in a tunnel here at the Staples Center early Wednesday evening, waiting to run onto the court, their season having reached a crossroads. Bryant nodded.

“I’m good,” he said.

Did anyone doubt he wouldn’t be? Isn’t this what the great ones, the MVPs, do? Bryant once jetted in from a Colorado courtroom to hang 42 points on the San Antonio Spurs in a playoff game, and back spasms were going to stop him?

Not on Wednesday. Bryant stepped onto the stage and starred yet again, fighting off the Jazz in a tense 111-104 victory that left the Lakers within one win of the Western Conference finals.

Bryant’s teammates saw all they needed to see 18 seconds into the game. With the fans having barely settled into their seats, Bryant raised up and buried a long three-pointer. He followed with a 14-foot jumper. Already, his teammates on the bench began to laugh. Lamar Odom had predicted Bryant’s “gun to be blazing,” and it certainly looked like that’s how the evening was heading.

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The Lakers needed the game to maintain home court and gain a 3 - 2 series lead.

The next game is in Utah and Kobe will once again be called upon to shake off the effects of coming back from the back spasms. Once again, we will have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, this time we all expect him back and expect him to be great!

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Theo Ratliff drawing a charge on Dwight Howard

Image details: Detroit Pistons v Orlando Magic, Game 3 served by picapp.com

The Pistons have a habit of nullifying the best player on the other team. In the case of the Orlando Magic that player would be Dwight Howard, better known to some as Superman.

For the first three games Dwight Howard was up and down, but key to the Magic fast break.

Then came game four and the disappearance of Dwight Howard.

But perhaps basketball’s Man of Steel possesses feet of clay.

High drama generally serves as a casting call for the game’s true stars, but Dwight Howard disappointingly proved again in Game 4 against the Pistons on Saturday that he’s currently more a creation of hype than its validation.

He shrank from the pressure. It was as though the basketball doubled as Kryptonite.

“They played defense on him, we didn’t,” Antonio McDyess said. “They stopped giving him the ball in the paint. (Hedo) Turkoglu just started taking over the game, and (Howard) wasn’t getting the ball in the paint. That was huge.”

McDyess was being charitable.

Howard didn’t get the ball enough, especially late, because he didn’t want the ball enough.

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Dwight Howard was Superman at the slam dunk contest. He is super built in the upper body. The NBA marketing guys love him. He made the All NBA first team, which puts him on a par with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Wonder what Rasheed thinks of that?

There’s always blame when stars don’t shine, but Howard can only fault himself because for all his above-the-rim theatrics and man-child physical form, Howard doesn’t score unless he rolls off the screen for a thunderous slam or goes back up quickly with an offensive rebound.

Howard’s offensive repertoire remains at a rudimentary level. He’s not comfortable making an away-from-the-basket offensive move. He rushes shots, clumsily throwing up garbage and then complaining that the referees aren’t giving him a fair whistle.

The Pistons removed Dwight from game four and now it is up to Stan Van Gundy to find a way to put him back for game five.

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