The first round playoffs are slowly coming to a close. Lakers demolished Denver’s hope of going into the second round sweeping them in 4 games while league leading Boston is almost close of pushing the panic button as Atlanta leveled their series to 2-2.
There are a lot of key acquisitions made from different teams going into the playoffs and those acquisitions are labeled according to their performance from the moment they are traded or signed.

THE GOOD

Mike Bibby (Atlanta Hawks) – meshing up with the young guns of Atlanta proved to be fruitful for Bibby. As he took Atlanta to the no.8 spot and gave Boston a scare as they scored impressive victories against a team who leads the league in defense with the minister of defense presiding by the name of Kevin Garnet. Although the series is far from over Mike Bibby and the Atlanta Hawks exceeded expectations and have proved that they are a team to beat. Boston will win the series but Atlanta will be back next year with the hunger and an appetite for a championship run.

Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers)- After a series of disappointments in Memphis and a 0-12 standing in the playoffs Pau has now tasted the win column and have proved to be the focal point of the Lakers success with much credit to Kobe’s MVP performance. With return of some key players like Bynum and Ariza the Lakers would be in a huge advantage in the playoffs. Pau and the Lakers are just waiting for the Utah-Houston series and with enough time to rest the Lakers will once again soar and move a notch higher to the conference finals.

Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz)- Utah was in a slump when they signed Kyle Korver. Kyle with his shooting prowess have given headaches to teams especially Houston in their series. Stockton and Malone were effective because they have Hornacek in the wing shooting beyond the arc. And with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer teaming up Kyle is just around the corner swooshing the basket.

THE BAD

Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) – Devin Harris could have been effective in neutralizing Chris Paul with all his height and quickness but Dallas was impatient and traded their young point guard for Jason Kidd. Jason will always be one of the top point guards in the history of the NBA but Jason just don’t belong in Dallas the team that first drafted him. While Dirk Nowitzki carried their offense along with Josh Howard Dallas needs another consistent scorer. Jason in their series against New Orleans was given the green light to shoot but it’s not Jason’s game and New Orleans succeeded as they won the series 4-1. Dallas will have to evaluate their roster and they will just have to make the best out of Kidd as the 35 year old veteran will once again try his luck for a championship run.

Shaquile Oneal (Phoenix Suns)- The Phoenix Suns wanted to booze their line up and Steve Kerr the new GM traded Shawn Marion for big daddy Shaq. Mike d’ Antoni’s run and gun offense was put into a halt as they are now doing more set offense a phase the San Antonio Spurs are accustomed to. After their game 1 double overtime lost the Suns never made it back. And with the Spurs resulting to a hack a Shaq tactic Shaq now becomes a disadvantage and Steve Kerr paid the price. The Suns will be back but I still believed they are much effective in their run and gun offense… If aint broke don’t fix it.

THE PLAYOFFS

Its still too early to tell who will emerge the champion and with round two coming up teams are preparing for a bigger battle. Will it be the Lakers? Or will Boston regain it senses… we just have to wait and enjoy… Round two coming up!

David Diaz has to surpass expectations and this time he has to have a perfect game to beat the Mexecutioner Manny Pacquiao… He has been beating all odds since his amateur days beating Zab Judah for a seat in the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Beating Armando Sta. Cruz for the interim title and defending his WBC title against “El terrible” Morales.
Those fights were fights that David is not supposed to win but instead proved the other way around.
A fight with Pacquiao is a fight David is not suppose to win a fight were he is clearly the underdog but David has been in this situation not just once but for almost all his professional bouts. A natural lightweight David will slug it out with Manny from start to finish he has proven how durable and how his chin can take punches from all forms.
David is a tailor made fight for Pacquiao and Manny has to win this one in an impressive fashion in order to gain his confidence going for a bigger purse against Hatton or a rematch against Marquez. David after this fight win or loose would be a happy boxer earning a bigger purse than all his fights. With no pressure around him and no expectations he just has nothing to loose.
Come June 28 we will witness two sluggers in the ring fighting for pride and honor.
David will have to face Goliath in Pacquiao but I guess he needs a bigger slingshot to knock Pacquiao out.

After a humiliating exit against Golden State Warriors last year the no.1 seed Dallas was desperate and needed a wily court general who could help them. Jason Kidd at 35 needed a change and wanted to be traded…Dallas quickly capitalized Kidd’s disgruntled emotion and offered New Jersey Nets an upcoming fast and young point guard in Devin Harris with two future 1st round picks. All thought the trade was an exclamation point on Dallas search for glory but after two blow out games in the 1st round playoffs against New Orleans Hornets…Dallas is now slowly aching in regret as they traded a future solid point guard for a moment’s glory…
I love Jason Kidd and he have been a solid all around player all his career but with Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Tony Parker emerging as the young superstar point guards in the West Kidd has to play catch with all of them. Devin Harris has the speed and size to match up against these perennial point guards and has a scorer’s mentality.
Kidd in their match-up against the Hornets was challenged to be more of a scorer rather than his bread and butter game and proved to be effective as the Hornets cruises their way to victory.
Dallas will be playing at home in game 3 and with a 0-2 disadvantage Kidd has a big monkey to carry on his back. He has to play under pressure as expectations are getting bigger at home. Kidd’s former coach Byron Scott remembered how Kidd wanted him out of New Jersey and the hapless coach went on packing…This series is not just for the Larry O’Brien cup this is for redemption as Chris Paul doing damage for Byron Scott.

Dallas will have to face back to back first round disappointment as New Orleans tries to make it into a sweep. Kidd with all the pressure surrounding him and with a few more games left and with all his accolades and triple double performance Kidd could still perform miracles…but he has to face a bigger mountain in Chris Paul.

It was on the eve of New Year when the Orlando Magic faced the Denver Nuggets. Scott Skiles broke Kevin Porter’s record by having 30 assist and giving his team a win.

The Milwaukee Bucks has just named Scott Skiles as the head coach replacing his close friend Larry Krystkowiak as the Bucks started their campaign for a better and stronger team next year. All eyes will be on Coach Scott as he faces a big mountain to climb up to.
Milwaukee is a talented team with mainstays Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut, Villanueva and Yi giving them advantage in size and power but after a dismal season the Bucks needed a change… and what better way to start than having a winner in Skiles.
Scott Skiles played in Europe in 1996 and with injuries and personal problems hunting him he asked his team to release his contract but instead his team fired his head coach and got him the job. Everyone thought it was a drastic and unreasonable move but Scott Skiles inspite of losing three valuable players in his team give his team a winning record and surprisingly went all the way and got the third placer in the league.
He became an assistant coach in Phoenix and eventually became the head coach then went to Chicago Bulls where he led his team to a surprising playoff appearance.

The Bucks has the potential to be a great team and like the Bulls they were the under achiever talent waiting to be explored. Scott Skiles will once again turn the rough stones and turn it into gems… but it will not happen overnight… Hard work and heart makes a team better and Skiles have to push everyone to its limits…
Assist means to lend a hand and what better way to establish a team with a man leading in that category…

Skiles was all smiles as he gave assist no.30…and the Orlando dominated Denver 155-116… a record he will forever be remembered…

Hopkins paid the price by saying “no white men can beat me”… two white judges scored it for Calzaghe and the undefeated fighter from whales proved his dominance and named himself as “The Legend Killer” naming Roy Jones Jr. next on the line.
Calzaghe brought his rhythm back after a flash right straight caught him on the 1st round and send the English man to the canvass. But his aggressiveness gave Hopkins a riddle that’s hard to answer. Joe Calzaghe deserves the win fair and square… Hopkins at 43 is past his prime and its time to move over and face the music… He gave us good memories and with all the trash talks and negative criticism he is still the great executioner…Bhop has proven his legacy and the time is now… hopefully he will retire in one piece…
You can now download the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight at this link

http://www.flyupload.com/?fid=3511258

Enjoy as much as i did….

April is the playoffs month… With barely a week to go before tip off the cast of teams are already completed. The West is still the teams to beat but with Boston emerging as the no.1 all in all in standings this might be the year of the East. I made a playoff analysis for all teams and although its still anybody’s ball game but the team with the most heart wins it all…

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

BOSTON-ATLANTA
Boston won all the season games against Atlanta and I couldn’t see why Boston could not sweep this lowly Atlanta team. Atlanta went to the playoffs after a 9 year drought with Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress and candidate rookie of the year Al Horford. Though Atlanta is not a gimme game but Boston’s experience and defense will put them through as they ease there way to the second round…
Boston 4-0

DETROIT- PHILADELPHIA
Surprisingly there is still life after AI as Philadelphia builds their franchise in another AI (Andre Iguadala). This time Philly is more of a team and with Mo cheeks guiding them they leveled their season with Detroit. Detroit’s vast playoff experience will proved to be too much for the young Sixers. And with Detroit’s roster fully intact a second round matchup against Boston is likely to happen.
Detroit 4-2

ORLANDO-TORONTO
Orlando serves as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference with the emerging Center Dwight Howard leading the pack. Toronto can surely be the upset team to go through the second round. But so far its still a hard match to predict… It’s either Orlando setting up inside or Toronto hitting more outside…whoever establishes their offense first wins the round. It’s a toss coin for both teams but I think Orlando will win the round in leau with its two wins on their season matchup.
Orlando-4-3

CLEVELAND-WASHINGTON
We all remember King James whispering something to Arenas as Arenas shoots the free throw and missed. There is no bad blood against these two teams but old matchup really flames up during playoffs. Washington is the only team that beat the mighty Boston in 3 games sweeping the no.1 team in their season matchup and to top it all Washington is playing either without Arenas, Butler and Jamison in each of their games. Credit goes to Eddie Jordan for carrying his team to the playoffs. Cleveland on the other hand has to deal with all the new acquisitions this season and that can be costly for the Cavaliers. King James and Gilbert Arenas will steal the show but I think the healthy Lebron will emerge as the victor.
Cleveland-4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

LOS ANGELES-DENVER

The Los Angeles Lakers are the hottest team in the league right now. The acquisition of Pau Gasol and some good role players such as Trevor Ariza and Ira Newble proved to be a good quality decision by Mitch Kupchak. Kobe the league’s MVP candidate has surely step up and became the no.1 team in the West. Sweeping their season match up against Denver and with the recent fiasco against Carmelo Anthony off the court…Denver could be in trouble… Iverson should step the notch or Denver could pay the price.
Los Angeles 4-2

NEW ORLEANS- DALLAS

With the Lakers exception New Orleans Hornets have surpassed expectations and with superstar Chris Paul manning the team they are off to a great start. Though Dallas has tied their season series the New Orleans Hornets still have the home court advantage.
The Hornets will have a tough time against Dallas since Dallas is a playoff tested team… We all remember how Golden State the no.8 team in the west last year destroyed Dallas hopes of advancing to the next round…this time we might see Dallas upsetting the Hornets…This is a must see game with Kidd passing the baton to Chris Paul.
Dallas 4- 3

SAN ANTONIO- PHOENIX

This is quite interesting match up since Phoenix won their season series against San Antonio 3-1… The defending champion will try to defend their crown and with Phoenix Shaq and Stoudamire defending Tim Duncan it would be a hard fought battle in the post. Phoenix might have the upper hand but we could never underestimate the heart of the champions.
San Antonio 4-3

UTAH- HOUSTON

Houston has been phenomenal this season but without Yao Utah could take advantage on the post with Boozer and Okur. Utah is a more fundamental team compared to Houston and proves their supremacy as they won against Houston in their season series 2-1…
Mcgrady has been a team player and made Houston a top contender in the West but with Mcgrady being shut down as the game begins to be physical in playoff time his team mates should be ready to step it up. Utah will win the round but as far as I can see I don’t think they are a better match up to either San Antonio or Phoenix in that matter.
Utah 4-2

Teams are now getting ready for the Playoffs. This is the time to separate the weak from the strong… But with all said and done still the ball is round and upsets are likely to ensue… Would we see a new champion emerging? Lets follow the drama as NBA unveils the 2008 Playoffs…

Floyd “ Money” Mayweather is holding the no.1 lb per lb spot in boxing today but the question would be how long? Floyd with all his skills has chosen to fight the easier path rather than taking the best of the best in boxing. Floyd challenges an old Delahoya and almost suffered a set back and then went to war with a smaller Ricky Hatton. He could have chosen Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley which could very well test his supremacy in his division. Floyd has a scheduled rematch against Delahoya a fight people find it boring and again Floyd tries to evade the big names in favor of a big pay day with his immaculate record intact.
He doesn’t deserve to be the no.1 and for me the coming fight this Saturday between the Ring Magazine light heavy weight champion Bernard Hopkins against undisputed super middle weight champion Joe Calzaghe will be the barometer on how things could surely messed up the rankings for the no.1 spot. Both warriors decided to challenge each other for the good of boxing and for boxing supremacy. Hopkins at age 43 could very well end his illustrious career with a win against undefeated 36 year old banger in Calzaghe a fight way better than the Mayweather-Delahoya 2. As far as im concern its anybody’s ballgame…and with lots of good fights coming im not surprise to see Mayweather stepping down his throne….
So step it up guys the no.1 pound 4 pound spot is up for grabs…

Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto cruised their way to victory as they set their selves up for a July 26 showdown of champions. Margarito out classed Kermit “the killer” Cintron and ended the lopsided fight in the 6th round with a left to the body sending the former champion down with 1:56 time running in the clock. Margarito proved his dominance after beating Cintron 3 years ago with a knockout and was awarded the new IBF champion.
Cotto proved too much for the contender star Alfonso Gomez sending him in the canvass with heavy body shots and won by TKO in the fifth round. Gomez went down in the canvass in two or three times by a body shot against hard hitting Cotto. I give the heart and guts to Gomez as he continues to stand each knockdown and continues to move forward. The fight was already decided in the first round and surprisingly went into the fifth with credits to Gomez.
A showdown with Margarito and Cotto would be another fight good for boxing with the winner challenging the top no.1 pound per pound fighter in “Money” Mayweather… A date is already being set which is on July 26 a fight I surely won’t miss. And with all the great fights coming its sure is a great year in boxing.

It took years for a stone to turn into a gem. The painstaking process takes a lot of time and energy but in the long run it’s quite rewarding.
Jerry West saw a gem in the lanky rookie from Philadelphia and trades his starting center just to get him. Kobe Bryant silence all the critics and proved his worth in the NBA fighting minutes against guards like Eddie Jones and Van Excel…Kobe exceeded expectations and reward Jerry West a championship trophy in the process.
But inspite of his 3 time championship trophies, 2 time scoring champion and slamdunk champion Kobe felt short of grabbing the MVP trophy and the closest thing was a runner up to Steve Nash. Kobe develop from a scoring dynamo into a versatile all around player, making all his teammates feel good with all the hefty passes and some high fives. The only player besides Wilt Chamberlain who scored 80 points in one game and to top it all Kobe did it in a game different from the Chamberlain’s phenomenal record he scored in a system or a game that is fully developed with all the defenses and 3 second rule…
Kobe almost give up on his team and demands a trade while in summer camp but as the season begins it was all business again for Kobe. He average second only to Lebron but what makes Kobe special is he made his team on top of the rugged Western conference and the brotherhood he develops on his teammates is indisputable…
Kobe has waited too long to be awarded MVP and this time there’s no one comes close to his achievements… Chris Paul and Lebron James have proved their worth but they too will have their time… Kobe has waited a painstaking stone to turn into a gem and it turns out it’s a diamond in the making… an MVP trophy…

Gerry Penalosa gave Vorapin a boxing clinic and displaying how good a tactician he is last Sunday in their Invasion matchup and knocking on Destiny’s fate to have a rematch against Boomboom’s former tormentor Daniel Ponce Deleon… In attendance was his best buddy Manny Pacquiao and surprisingly former WBC champion Juan Manuel Marquez. There were no heated exchanges against Marquez but Juan Manuel once again challenges Manny for a third installment believing he won the last fight. The fight was a close one and could go either way. But why cry for a spilled milk? We never heard Manny protesting when a judge mistakenly put a 10-7 round instead of a 10-6 round on the first fight… People might have scored the fight for Marquez but those people knew the fight was close. It was a good fight and both fighters deserve a standing ovation for that fight. But I just don’t like how Marquez handles the situation. After their first fight Manny challenge Marquez to a rematch but Marquez instead took a fight against Chris John in hostile territory. Why didn’t he take a million dollar fight at that time but instead took on a penny where he lost and had to start from scratch again?
Juan Marquez and Gerry Penalosa are good tacticians but what differs from both of them is that Penalosa had to earn and won a convincing fight just to have a rematch against Deleon. Marquez have earn his megafight with Manny but his act made him a sour loser going into Pacquiao and trying him to lure for a third match.
There are still life after Manny… there are Valero’s, Guzman’s and even Chris John’s…but I guess the best thing for Marquez is to move on and get a life…