I wouldn't be surprised if that were to happen, truthfully.

Denver might very well be in the finals, and until the last second of last night the Magic could have. But not now.

That kind of shot is the spear through Orlando's balloon. The whole team is already thinking: "if only we had guarded LeBron on the last shot, we could have won this series." I mean, really, was there a chance in a million that someone other than LeBron was going to get the last shot? Is there a reason in a million why Van Gundy didn't have him double teamed (and why Tukoglu instead of Pietrus?)? Put one guy in front of him, one guy behind him and Howard under the basket to guard the lob. If Mo Williams has to pass someone else the ball, he's not going to make that shot -- he's going to be so surprised the ball is in hands instead of LeBron's he won't know what to do with it.

There's an article in Advertising Age "Could LeBron-Kobe Showdown Be Bad News for Adidas, Gatorade?"



Meanwhile, Nike's showing their Kobe-LeBron puppet commercials, MVPuppets: Unstoppable. Three rings. Chalk.

The MVPuppets are great!

I read this article this morn. A good point:

With LeBron's prominence in the playoffs I thought they would be releasing the LeBron movie More than a Game (a documentary about LeBron's high school team) sometime about... NOW. But I just checked the movie's website and it's saying "Opens LA, NY and Cleveland on October 2." Why are they holding it back so long? I saw the movie last September (so it's not like the movie isn't finished and in the can), and thought at the time the idea was to release the film during or after the playoffs when LeBron mania was at its peak. Why release it in early October, before the NBA season starts and early in the seasons for college/high school hoops?

Gotta love Sager's all pink suit.

Garnett tells Sager to burn his clothes.

Maybe Hollywood has a psychic on board.

Well, maybe I have to recant about Orlando again. I've finally come around to the idea that any of these teams can be in the finals, and any of them can win. Where did all the great teams in the league go? A year ago, it looked like there were a load of powerhouses (mostly in the West), but now there's not a single team out there that's championship quality (maybe the Celtics would have been, if they were healthy).

LeBron's supporting cast looks as bad as Kobe's.

There was a stretch in the first half of the LA/Denver game where the Lakers had their second unit on the floor, and every single possession they either had a turnover on a suicidal pass, got stripped on the dribble or, if they somehow managed to keep the ball, ended with an impossible, contested (and missed) outside shot. Denver should have pulled ahead by 20, but instead missed layups and bobbled easy passes, so only went up by about 6. It looked like a bad college game.

But I guess someone has to win it, so my bet is still on the Cavs.

The only issue I have w/ your "bet" is that LeBron had 41 points last nite & still lost by ten--not a good sign!...

But, yes, Kobe and LeBron is searching for LeHelp.

I think the championship is up for grabs! It's gonna be the team that desires it the most both on & off the court.

No, absolutely. That's why I've abandoned my prior smug insistence and now admit that anyone could win.

But given how completely exhausted both the Lakers and Denver appear to be after only 3 games, I think the East has the edge.

Hmmm, I don't knowwwww...

Yesterday's game seemed like:

a. both teams were tired & lethargic and

b. both teams weren't exactly sure how to put the game away.

Just mho.

Agreed, and I suspect all the rest of the games will be the same. At least Denver had some new players contribute (JR Smith especially). Kobe and Gasol are exhausted from trying to carry the Lakers by themselves.

Meanwhile, Cleveland's famous defense has taken the post-season off. It looks like George's version of David Stern's nightmare might be coming true.

I think the Clippers could win the championship @ this point!

The Lakers played their best overall postseason game last night...

Now time to go for the jugular!

I was reading that TNT scored some of their highest ratings ever for Tuesday's Cavs - Magics game - but the TV ratings for the NHL and NBA really are a tale of just how different sports fans are in Canada compared to south of the border. Ratings topped a million fans up here for each of the games CBC was showing of the Stanley Cup Conference finals - yet last weekends two NBA conference final games on TSN drew fewer than 125,000 viewers across all of Canada. Junior hockey games last week outdrew that.

I think it is safe to say that most people up here are Raptor fans - moreso than NBA fans, because regular season Raptor telecasts on TSN draw better numbers than what the NBA playoffs have been drawing so far.

Too bad really because by the sounds of it some of the NBA games have been amazing. Although I too have watched very little of the NBA playoffs - caught up in all the Stanley Cup hoopla.

Pens - Wings should be a good Stanley Cup final and Lakers - Magic should be interesting too.

Fingers crossed...Yeah, I think that match up would be better than most think, especially considering that the Magic won both games this season by very close scores.

Agreed -- the Magic are better than people thought. Well, especially me, since I've been saying they were a paper tiger all season long.

Howard would foul Bynum out in under 5 minutes, and then who guards him? Poor Pau. Oh...D.J. Mbenga, that's it!

But before we get to that, the Lakers are going to have a tough time winning in Denver. I think it'll go 7.

Yeah, Lakers in 7 was my original prediction. But honestly, I'm sooooooo over this series. I'm just hoping that they can finally put an end to this madness tomorrow & move onto the championship.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I'm REALLY impressed w/ the Magic as of now. Let's see how the 2nd half unfolds...

Gotta love Türkoğlu's passion, focus, perseverance, & determination throughout this series!

Is it my imagination or does Marv continue to have a passion 4 Cavaliers' basketball?

The jugular it was!

Big time. The Lakers finally playing the way they're supposed to. Now, if Bynum would only show up they'd be invincible.

I'm particularly glad they'll get at least an extra day's rest over the East winner. They need it.

Yes, the rest will be a + for them. But damnnnnn! Odom's injury sounds just Gawd-awful! He needs to heal/rest that as much as possible.

And I'm sure NBC are happy the Lakers won. No Game 7 competition for their Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Sunday night. Tonight's Game 1 on NBC is up against TNT's Game 6 Cavs-Magic which should mean lousy ratings outside of Pittsburgh and Detroit.

Actually I'll certainly be watching game 6 for 2 reasons:

1. Cuz I want to know if indeed the Magic will face the Lakers.

2. If the Cavs win, boy oh boy will that be something to witness. Cuz my prediction would be that if there's a game 7 in Cleveland then the Magic's chances of ending up in the finals will dim incredibly.

I am sooo happy for Pau. Boston had a tough road last year. The Lakers have had a tough road this year. I want to see Pau get a ring!!

I also hope Howard and the Magic send Lebron fishin'.

Pau is awesome! A player w/ a great & humble personality. Plus, he's pretty hawt too!

Yes, Pau deserves a lot of credit. He didn't wilt against the physically punishing Nuggets. Also, I think his defense is much improved.

For some reason, I want the Magic to win too, even though I predicted they'd flop. I'm not sure they'll be an easier opponent for LA though -- Howard could kill them. The onus will be on Bynum to stay in the game.

NBA finals set: Lakers vs. Magic

Should be a very interesting finals!

Lock & load Lakers!!!

Home court! Home court! Home court!

I'm not going to say my boy is hawt, but he is packin'!

The key is going to be if Bynum can provide anything at all -- just on defense, he doesn't need to score. I'd hate to see everyone's boy Pau have to end up guarding Howard 40 minutes a game. In any case, it's time for Howard to start missing free throws again. I don't know what's gotten into him lately.

From Orlando's angle, the question of course is whether Pietrus (or anyone else) can guard Kobe even a little. Other than Howard, Orlando doesn't have any of the physical bruisers that can cause the Lakers problems.

Once again, on paper this should be a good matchup for LA. Howard may go for 40, but not every game the way LeBron would have. But we'll see.

Magic seemed to do okay NOT guarding James very well. Not much of a fan of the one-man team concept. Sells tickets but often has problems winning games.

A Hollywood vs Disney match-up should be ideal for maketers. East v West. Movie stars v models.

Great weather. Gorgeous bodies.

What's not to like?

Drama anyone?

Dang! Thursday's a long way away.

At last we have an explanation for the Lakers' Jekyll and Hyde play. From a blurb on SI.com:

Sportswriters and fans have proposed numerous theories for Lamar Odom's up-and-down play, but here is a new one: Odom's fondness for candy. In an essay titled " Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play," Dr. Daniel Amen writes that Odom's massive consumption of candy leads to a sugar high and then a crash, evidence of which can be seen on the basketball court. (Los Angeles Times)

Cant they feed him M&M's during timeouts or something?

LOL! Maybe M&M's could be the official sponsor for Odom...

So, I think it's prediction time for everyone here. Ok, here it goes, GULP! Lakers in 6. Whatcha think?

Congrats to the Lakers and Magic for making the finals. I can't wait until the FINALS start.

Lakers in 6 is a popular pick among commentators. I think I'd say Lakers in 7. The Lakers will lose one game at home, but then steal one back in Orlando.

Even though he's been remarkable so far, I'm betting that Howard blows at least one game by reverting to form (horrible) at the free throw line. However, in the event that Jameer Nelson is able to return effectively, then it's even more of a toss-up.

Agreed, especially about Nelson. But I can't see him playing the full 4 quarters for all 7 games (if it comes to that). And if he does, how rusty will he be? But then again, the "Nelson coming back" notion may simply be a ploy. Who knows? We'll just have to wait & see.

Goooooo Lakers!

Yeah, you do have to wonder how effective Nelson could be.

Also, Obama just picked the Lakers in 6, so now it's official.
(He nailed the NCAA.)

I have Lakers in 5.

& now I have another reason why to love me some Obama!

Nelson won't be anywhere near game-shape. If he plays, it won't be major minutes. It will be so he can say he participated. He had such a great first-half of the season, until getting hurt, so I can see where Orlando would want to include him in what they believe is their championship run.

Those were my thoughts too smokey! Plus here's an update on his injury & the possibility of him playing. Still sounds very iffy. Quite frankly, I wouldn't want to risk re-injuring my shoulder. I believe it was torn ligaments, no? Scary, to say the least!

He had a torn labrum. I had the same thing 1-1/2 year ago. No way was mine healed enough in 4 months after surgery to participate in contact sports. Of course, I'm just a little older and less athletic than Jameer.

Ouch! Then I'd DEFINITELY wouldn't chance re-injuring it. But, hey, it's Nelson's labrum that he's f**king w/.

I'm going to take the Orlando Magic. Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!...

& OH! Btw, the "Beat L.A." chant IZ SOOOOOOOOOOO 80s!

Well, someone has to root for Orlando. Even Shaq is pulling for the Lakers.