The Urban Daily » basketball

Blake Griffin Dunks Over Kendrick Perkins [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:35:04 +0000

In this abbreviated, injury-riddled NBA season there have been few true displays of pure athleticism. Now they seem to be coming in bunches like MTA buses in NYC.

Is This The Clippers City Now?

Just days after LeBron James did his best human pogo stick imitation over Bulls guard John Lucas, III, Blake Griffin may have sent Thunder Center Kendrick Perkins into therapy.

During the third quarter of the Clippers-Thunder game on Monday night, the reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion rose up and “Mozgov’d” Kendrick Perkins–drawing comparisons to his domination of then-Knicks center Timofey Mozgov in 2010 and LeBron’s dunk from the other night.

Watch the clip and tell us if this isn’t the dunk of the year so far.

Was the Mozgov dunk nastier?

LeBron Posterizes Bulls Player En Route To Win [VIDEO]

L.A. Clipper Blake Griffin Slam Dunks Cover of “Men’s Health” [PHOTOS]

Blake Griffin Wins 2011 Slam Dunk Contest [VIDEO]

LeBron Posterizes Bulls Player En Route To Win [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:38:47 +0000

In what was most likely a preview of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James and the Miami Heat looked to send a message to the Chicago Bulls. On the way to a 97 to 93 win at American Airlines Arena LeBron made a step ladder out of an unsuspecting John Lucas, III.

72 Hours in the Windy City

The 5’11 guard was victimized in the first quarter when LeBron caught an alley-oop pass from D-Wade and the “King” leapt OVER him on his way to the basket. It was two of 35 points James scored on the night. Watch the embarrassment below.

Meet The Next Basketball Wife: LeBron James’ Fiance Savannah [PHOTOS]

Lebron James Knocks Over Kid After Dunking On Him [VIDEO]

Dwight Howard Says Shaq Should “Get On With His Life”

The Urban Daily — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:28:12 +0000

It’s always interesting when recently retired players become sports commentators. With memories of the court or field still fresh in their heads, they haven’t quite developed the level of objectivity of some of their peers.

Since retiring from the NBA Shaquille O’Neal has become an analyst for TNT. When recently asked to name the best Center in the NBA “The Diesel” bestowed that honor on Lakers big man Andrew Bynum. However, in a head-to-head match up with Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard (the man many would consider the best center) Bynum came up short.

Howard got the best of Bynum, finishing with 21 points, 23 rebounds and one blocked shot to Bynum’s 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in the win. For the season Howard is averaging 20 pts, 16 rebounds ad 2.3 blocks to Bynum’s 15 pts, 13 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

So what did Dwight have to say in response to Shaq?

“He’s mad about ‘Superman,’” Howard said referring to his Slam Dunk contest routine from 2008. “I didn’t know he made it up. I didn’t know Superman came from Shaquille O’Neal.”

Superman was one of several nicknames Shaquille O’Neal used during his career, flaunting a Kryptonian “S” tattoo on his bicep. But Howard doesn’t care.

“I would suggest he’d just sit down and get on with his life,” Dwight added. “He don’t play no more, so what’s the point of talking trash? It’s not like we’re wrestlers and we get to battle it out. Who cares?”

GET THE FULL STORY AT ESPN

Caption This: Dwight Howard Channels Rihanna?!

Royce Reed Owes Dwight Howard $551,606.74

Shaq On Marriage To Shaunie: I Cheated “Respectfully” [VIDEO]

Kobe Bryant Breaks Record In Loss

The Urban Daily — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:45:53 +0000

During a loss to the Denver Nuggets Kobe Bryant still found his way into the record books. Bryant scored 16 points to become the sixth player in NBA history to score 28,000 career points. He is first among active players and is 584 points behind former teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

Bryant came into the Sunday game needing just four points to reach 28,000, but he didn’t get it until he hit a free throw with 10:43 left in the third quarter.

The Lakers fell to the Nuggets 99 to 90 bringing their record on the season to 3 wins and 3 losses.

Kevin Durant Buzzer-Beater Beats Mavs [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:03:52 +0000

The NBA is back! Thursday night had a slate of headline worthy games but The Oklahoma City Thunder’s All-Star Kevin Durant had the play of the night. Watch as he sinks a clutch three-pointer at the end of regulation to steal the win from the Dallas Mavericks. “Durantula” finished with 30 points.

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“It’s Impossible To Hate The Dallas Mavericks!”

Jonathan Hailey — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:41:27 +0000

Surrounded by almost as much hype as the day Watch The Throne came out, NBA kicked off it’s shortened season on Christmas Day. What better gift could a sports fan ask for? After a long period without basketball, every tip off when off without a hitch, minus the Kevin Garnett situation. Our friends at The Smoking Section poisted a piece featuring ten random observations amidst the NBA’s Christmas Day Marathon. Check out an exerpt:

As much as I try, hating on the Mavericks is impossible. I credit it to actually getting a chance to meet Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry while I attended Georgetown, but there’s no true cause for concern just yet. They’re an older team so it makes sense it’ll take more than four quarters to get their regular season legs under them. I do think, however, they’ll miss Tyson Chandler. Brendan Haywood doesn’t scream “starting center” and Vince Carter is going to have to provide some sort of scoring on that starting unit. There are questions surrounding this team, but while I can’t see them repeating as champs, they’re not going to exactly roll over and die in the process.

Read the entire list here.

Will Kobe Bryant’s Divorce Help Or Hurt His Game? [POLL]

Lamar Odom In Tears Over Failed Trade [AUDIO]

Is Tyson Chandler Going To The Knicks? [VIDEO]

Baron Davis To Sign With Knicks [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:01:43 +0000

According to sources at ESPN, former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Baron Davis will be signing with The New York Knicks. Davis was waved by the Cavaliers and was not claimed off of waivers by another team.

Where Can He Hang Out In New York?

The news is a mixed blessing. While the Knicks sorely need an experience point guard to go with their front court of Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and the newly acquired Tyson Chandler, Davis has back issues that will have him sidelined for up to 8 weeks.

Chris Paul To Sign With L.A. Clippers [VIDEO]

Lamar Odom In Tears Over Failed Trade [AUDIO]

Vanessa Bryant Files For Divorce From Kobe

The Urban Daily — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:53:35 +0000

So much for a Merry Christmas. First Kobe loses Chris Paul and Lamar Odom in the same week, now his marriage is on the outs. According to TMZ his wife Vanessa Bryant has filed for divorce from The Black Mamba. They were married in April of 2001 and have two children.

Will Kobe Need This Packing Playlist?

Citing irreconcilable differences Bryant filed paperwork in Los Angeles. A source told TMZ that Kobe was allegedly unfaithful to Vanessa and she’d had enough. We can’t imagine what could be worse than the sexual assault charges he made her live through in 2003, but maybe looking at that $4 Million apology ring everyday got to be too much.

SEE THE COURT DOCUMENTS AT TMZ.com

Are The Lakers Going After Dwight Howard And Chris Paul? [VIDEO]

Chris Paul To Sign With L.A. Clippers [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:07:05 +0000

After plenty of speculation and trade rumors, NBA player Chris Paul will be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers from the New Orleans Hornets.

What Is He Leaving Behind?

According to ESPN, The Clippers will send guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round pick to the Hornets for Paul. The Clippers will also receive two future second-round picks.

If CP3 can stay healthy he and Slam Dunk champion Blake Griffin will be quite an entertaining tandem to watch. But what will their neighbors at the Staples Center do now that Dwight Howard is likely to remain in Orlando and they’ve sent Lamar Odom to Dallas for basically, nothing?

Are The Lakers Going After Dwight Howard And Chris Paul? [VIDEO]

Chris Paul Gets A Lap Dance From Nicki Minaj [VIDEO]

Lamar Odom In Tears Over Failed Trade [AUDIO]

The Urban Daily — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:53:39 +0000

It appears that “Basketball Wives” will not have a monopoly on NBA drama this season. Yesterday the L.A. Lakers attempted to trade away Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol in exchange for Chris Paul in a three-team swap that included the Houston Rockets.

Is New Orleans Better For Black Folk Than L.A.?

However, the NBA’s plantation owners complained to commissioner David Stern and the deal was killed. Now there is that #awkwardmoment when your team tries to get rid of you but can’t.

Lamar Odom also called into the Stephen A. Smith show when the news of the trade first broke and he sounded like he’d been listening to Drake’s “Marvin’s Room” on repeat for a few hours:

As for Chris Paul he is threatening to lawyer up and the teams are appealing. We’ll keep you posted on this as it develops.

Is Tyson Chandler Going To The Knicks? [VIDEO]

Are The Lakers Going After Dwight Howard And Chris Paul? [VIDEO]

Is Tyson Chandler Going To The Knicks? [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:37:52 +0000

The latest NBA free-agency rumor is that Dallas Mavericks Center Tyson Chandler may be signing with the New York Knicks. A source told ESPN.com that “New York is Tyson’s first choice” and that they are “98 percent sure that Tyson is going to wind up with the Knicks.”

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Of course fans have heard these kinds of “guarantees” before, but what would that mean for The Knicks? Would this allow Amar’e Stoudemire to play at his natural position of Power Forward or would the Knicks ship out their $100 Million man to New Orleans to get coveted point guard Chris Paul?

Or should he take his talents to South Beach? ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless argue the case.

Lebron James On First Season With Heat: “It Was A Success.” [VIDEO]

Jonathan Hailey — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:11:43 +0000

NBA fans, the time is almost here. Basketball starts on Christmas Day and before the games begin, Lebron James sat down with Sports Center to reflect on his first season with the Miami Heat. For the most part of the season, Lebron was the NBA’s public enemy number one. After leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers by announcing his decision at an excruciatingly long press conference, he and the Heat didn’t live up to the hype.

In the interview, James makes claims to not have an ego and to have laughed off all the jokes his haters cracked about him. He also explains how he felt about the lockout. He says he cared more about the fans than himself during the lockout. When asked if he’s become a better player than he was last season, he responded, “We’ll see.” Yes we will, Lebron. Yes we will. Make sure your televisions are set.

Why Exactly Is There An NBA Lockout? [ORIGINAL]

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LeBron James Dissed By Magic Johnson! [VIDEO]

NBA Cancels Games Through November 30th [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:37:56 +0000

The game of chicken between the NBA Players Association and the owners is stretching into overtime. The league’s commissioner, David Stern, announced that more games have been canceled through the end of November. No Thanksgiving showdown on NBC this year.

Go To Europe To Watch Basketball?

“In light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full NBA season under any circumstances,” he said.

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NBA Games are Cancelled to Start the 2011 Season! Who’s to Blame?

JRSportBrief — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:18:07 +0000

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/JRSportBrief
My FaceBook: http://on.fb.me/9X1qpE

David Stern and the NBA owners have cancelled the first two weeks of the upcoming 2011 season! Who’s to blame? The players or owners?

NBA Cancels First Two Weeks Of Season

The Urban Daily — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:32:02 +0000

After more than seven hours of negotiations the NBA Players Association and the owners were no closer to resolving their contract dispute. As a result Commissioner David Stern has cancelled the first two weeks of the season, meaning the soonest fans will see any NBA ball is November 14th.

“Despite extensive efforts, we have not been able to reach a new agreement with the players’ union that allows all 30 teams to be able to compete for a championship while fairly compensating our players,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

We guess there will be some more charity games played. READ MORE AT ESPN.COM

D-Wade Beats LeBron In Charity Game At FIU [VIDEO]

Syleena Johnson Says Lockout Is Good For Celtics [EXCLUSIVE]

NBA Preseason Cancelled, More Games In Jeopardy [VIDEO]

Syleena Johnson On Being A Real Life Basketball Wife [EXCLUSIVE]

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:07:00 +0000

R&B singer Syleena Johnson has just released her fifth album, Chapter V: Underrated. While making music literally runs in her veins (her father is soul singer Syl Johnson) she is more passionate about one thing–basketball.

“This lock-out is devastating me! But it’s good for my Celtics,” says the former basketball wife whose husband played in the NBA and overseas for almost a decade. “They’re getting old and they need the rest.”

Watch our exclusive where she gives advice to the players contemplating playing overseas in Italy and what it was like being in Europe watching her man play.

Top 5 Things To Do During The NBA Lockout

Drake And Michael Jordon Featured In NBA 2K12 Ad [VIDEO]

Delonte West Moving Furniture During Lockout? [PHOTOS]

NBA Preseason Cancelled, More Games In Jeopardy [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:52:32 +0000

It looks like Delonte West may not be so crazy after all. As talks between NBA players and owners stalled fans may hear of more alternate plans being made if there is no NBA season this year.

The owners locked out the players in July when the old contract expired and the two sides have not made significant progress toward a new contract. The players received 57 percent of basketball-related income in the last year of the expired agreement. The owners want to cut that share down to 47%.

If an agreement is not reached by Monday, they may cancel the first two weeks of the regular season.

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Five Excuses The Hoyas Will Give For Getting A$$es Whooped

Jonathan Hailey — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:13:15 +0000

A story broke recently about the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team getting into a brawl with a professional Chinese team during an exhibition game. After seeing the pictures and video, it’s safe to say the Hoyas got stomped out. The first thought I (@JaySpeakEasy) had was, “How are they going to show their faces when they get back to D.C.?” You and I both know the Hoyas squad is bound to get stepped to when they return. In anticipation for that, The Urban Daily and I came up with five excuses the basketball squad can use to save face. If you haven’t already, check out the video of the fight below.

5. “They’re wack! The only reason they wanted to fight is because we were whoopin’ that ass during the game!”
According to news reports, The reason the Chinese basketball team got physical is because they are a professional team and they were getting their asses handed to them by some college hoop stars. Despite that being true, that won’t deter stick up kids from testing the collegiate team. They don’t care why you got beat up. All they care about is if they can jack you themselves.

4. “I didn’t fight back because I wasn’t sure if they knew Kung Fu and I wasn’t taking the chance.”
Yes, it is very stereotypical to think all Asian people know martial arts. However, if you are trying to save face political correctness gets thrown out of the window. Not all Asians know Kung Fu, but quite a few do. You never know which one will samurai kick you in the throat for getting brolic with them. Pop off with caution because you might wind up getting mashed out, as the Hoyas soon realized.

3. “You think what happened to us was bad? You should have seen what we did to them.”
Reports have clearly stated Georgetown’s coach had his players walk out with nine minutes remaining in the game. In spite of the truth, saving face isn’t about honesty. It’s about saying and doing what you need to in order to keep people off your back. The best way for the Georgetown squad to do so is to lie. We all saw them catch a beat down, but what happened after the cameras stopped rolling? Georgetown better spin a tall tale in their favor.

2. “Oh, so you never had your ass whooped before?!”
The fastest way to get a regular heckler is to call into question their own toughness. As we all know, most people pop off at the mouth and can’t back a damn thing up. If this doesn’t shut somebody up, you might need to break your foot off in their hind parts. I’m not saying you should, but you might want to if the excuse doesn’t work.

1. “I think the Chinese basketball team is affiliated with the Triads!”
For those who don’t know, Triads are the most ruthless gangsters in the Asian community. They are highly skilled in martial arts, have astounding marksman abilities, and are cloaked in mystery. When it comes to different gangs, it is widely known Italians kill the man and leave the wife and children out of the dispute. Hispanic gangs will kill the family three weeks before they get you, just to prove a point that no one is off limits. The Triads are the gang that will blow up a whole football stadium if they think you’re there. They don’t play. Therefore, upsetting an affiliate wouldn’t be the wisest decision for the rest of Georgetown University. The Triads will wreck the place. I have to watch my back just for mentioning their name in this post.

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Kobe Bryant Drops 43 Points In Summer League [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:48:14 +0000

Kobe Bryant’s knee looks like it’s in game-time shape. The Los Angeles Lakers All-Star rained in 43 points during South Los Angeles’ famed Drew League. Bryant underwent an offseason platelet-rich plasma therapy procedure on his troublesome right knee. If there is an NBA season he’ll be on a revenge mission after getting bounced out of the playoffs by the reigning champs, The Dallas Mavericks.

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AND1 Will Release Video Of “Hotsauce” Balling With Michael Jackson

Casey Gane-McCalla, Lead Blogger — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:18:24 +0000

AND1 will release and exclusive video of streetball star, Hotsauce balling with Michael Jackson at the Neverland Ranch during a visit in 2000 very soon. Check out AND1Live and Sauce2kLive to be one of the first to... Read more..

Kendrick Perkins Arrested For Disorderly Conduct

The Urban Daily — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:44:37 +0000

It appears that this NBA lock-out is getting under the skins of some players. Oklahoma City Thunder Center Kendrick Perkins was arrested early Saturday morning for disorderly conduct. Local police said the NBA player became intoxicated and belligerent in a Texas nightclub.

“He got drunk and wanted to fight everybody,’’ said Sergeant Marc Levy of the Beaumont police. “Almost started a big to-do.’’

Perkins, 26, was raised in Beaumont and was hosting a summer basketball camp. The former Celtic was scheduled to play in a celebrity exhibition game Friday at Ozen High School, his alma mater, but the game was canceled.

Levy said he was surprised by Perkin’s arrest because, “He’s always been nice to me.” Perkins was released after posting bail.

[SOURCE]

Jalen Rose Sentenced To 20 Days In Jail

DJ Irie: “The Miami Heat Need To Take Me On The Road!” [VIDEO]

Daniel Gibson And Keyshia Cole Get Married [PHOTOS]

AND1 Brings Streetball To South Africa

Casey Gane-McCalla, Lead Blogger — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:44:52 +0000

AND1 has brought their exciting streeball style basketball to South Africa along with the killer cross overs and no look passes. Here are some highlights from their recent visit. ... Read more..

DJ Irie: “The Miami Heat Need To Take Me On The Road!” [VIDEO]

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:22:49 +0000

The Miami Heat are very comfortable keeping their talents in South Beach. Their 30-11 home record during the 2010-2011 season indicates that they excel in their own gym and they may have their official crowd motivator DJ Irie to thank for that. On June 23rd Irie hosted is seventh annual charity weekend sponsored by Sugartime sports, New Era and Grey Goose vodka. During the Celebrity Golf outing the spin doctor said that his Eastern Conference champs “will be back” but admits that maybe they need to take him out on the road with him next season to improve their odds. Watch our exclusive video.

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Miami Heat Rumored To Be Trading Chris Bosh, He Blames Lebron & Dwyane

jazzyf — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:07:20 +0000

According to a Miami Heat insider, Chris Bosh may be getting traded. The snitch revealed to mediatakeout, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and team president Pat Riley have held meetings about trading Bosh. The insider claims Chris Bosh is furious and blames Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. Looks like we may get to see that ugly cry of Chris Bosh again real soon. Chris Bosh celebrated his bachelor party in Las Vegas over the weekend.

LeBron’s Epic Fail [GALLERY]

Regina Michelle — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:04:19 +0000

Ever since he made his “Decision” last spring to join the Miami Heat the hate for LeBron James has reached unheard of levels for any basketball player. So when he fell short of his ultimate goal and lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the finals, folks got really creative in clowning King James and his squad. Check the gallery of spiteful Photoshop shots.

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Miami Heat Advance To NBA Finals After Defeating Bulls

The Urban Daily — Fri, 27 May 2011 03:30:46 +0000

LeBron James’ decision continues to pay off dividends. With a nail-biting 83-80 win over the Chicago Bulls the Miami Heat will advance to the NBA finals for the first time since 2006 when the franchise won its first championship.

LeBron led all scorers with 28 points. Derrick Rose had 25 for The Bulls on 9 for 28 shooting. The Heat were down by 12 with three minutes left in the game but pulled together an incredible 18 to 3 run that stunned the Chicago crowd.

The Miami Heat will now face the Dallas Mavericks, who they beat in 2006. Game 1 is on Tuesday May 31st in Miami.

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Mavericks Return To NBA Finals With Win Over Thunder [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:09:32 +0000

Five years after losing to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals the Dallas Mavericks will get a second shot at a title this year. On the strength of Dirk Nowitzki’s 26 points and 9 rebounds the Mavs finished off The Oklahoma City Thunder 100 to 96 to win their Western Conference Finals series. However, Dirk was clearly not satisfied.

“We’ve got one of those trophies already,” Nowitzki said of the silver Western Conference Champion trophy. “This is nice for a day, but we set our goals in October to win it all. We haven’t done it yet.”

The Mavs face the winner of the Eastern Conference series between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. The Heat lead that series 3 games to 1.

In somewhat related NBA news, the Lakers (who were swept by the Mavericks in their series) hired former Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown as their new Coach. He will be replacing Phil Jackson who is retiring after twenty years on the sidelines.

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The Urban Daily — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:29:43 +0000

The NBA’s Miami Heat are now up two games to one in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Chicago Bulls. The Heat overcame late heroics by Luol Deng to win 96 to 85. The much maligned Chris Bosh lead all scorers with 34 points and added five rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. LeBron and Wade scored 22 and 17 points respectively.

It was a night for sidekicks to shine on both sides. Carlos Boozer had 26 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago with Derrick Rose chipping in 20 on 8 for 19 shooting. After a dismal outing in game one Bosh admitted that he was nervous, having never played in a Conference Finals before but that seemed to be a non-factor tonight.

Game four will be played on Tuesday night in Miami.

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Andrew Bynum Suspended Five Games For Cheap Shot [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:30:38 +0000

If the NBA is not locked out next season, Lakers center Andrew Bynum will have to wait a little longer than most to step on the court. After a supreme display of unsportsmanlike conduct in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Bynum will be suspended for the first five games of the season and was fined $25,000. In the waning minutes of a losing game Bynum elbowed guard JJ Barea, who is about half his size, as he was in the air heading to the basket. Bynum was ejected from the game and charged with a flagrant foul 2.

Combined with the loss of salary Bynum will be about $700,00 lighter in the pockets. While he was seemingly unrepentant during the post game press conference he did issue an apology the next day.

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Will The Winner Of Heat-Celtics Come Out of the East?

jamiyl samuels — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:40:22 +0000

After an exciting first weekend of NBA playoff basketball, one thing was clear: the Lakers and Celtics were not a lock to get back to the Finals as almost everyone predicted before the season started.

L.A. was getting all they could handle through two games with New Orleans and the Celtics needed two last second baskets at home to take a 2-0 series lead against the New York Knicks who, were virtually without Chauncey Billups and Amar’e Stoudamire in Game 2. After the first round both Boston and L.A. have moved on after flipping the proverbial switch (or twisting the ankle in Kobe’s case).

The Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder both looked impressive in their series and Atlanta shocked the world by dispatching of Orlando as easily as they did. Up 3-0 on Indiana, the Bulls struggled againsnst the #8 seed. Derrick Rose has been all world in the series, but Chicago will need more production out of everyone else going forward. The Bulls have won the NBA title in every season in which the team won 60 games or more. The 2010-11 Bulls won 62 games. No pressure. As round 2 begins today here are my updated predictions.

Eastern Conference

#1 Chicago Bulls vs #5 Atlanta Hawks

I had Orlando winning this round, but unfortunately Orlando center Dwight Howard was the only player that got off the bus in the series against the Hawks. I was encouraged to see Atlanta adjust their gameplan against Superman, refusing to double team and staying home on the 3-point shooters of the Magic. Jamal Crawford, the leading bench scorer in the playoffs, worked his magic (no pun intended) throwing in dagger 3′s with regularity. Joe Johnson showed the urgency and intensity necessary in the closeout game 5 and Al Horford was a man amongst boys down low. All of that being said, the Bulls are overjoyed that Atlanta took care of Orlando because they have owned the Hawks in the regular season (a blown double-digit lead in ATL notwithstanding). I expect this to continue as Joakim Noah will cancel out Al Horford’s energy. The Hawks will be hurt by the loss of Kirk Hinrich, who pulled his hamstring in Game 5 of the previous series, as he would have been key in containing Derrick Rose defensively. Rose can do his usual damage on offense and get by Atlanta but Carlos Boozer has to come out of the witness protection program and give him some help or Atlanta will make it a tough series.

Prediction: Bulls run wild and win 4-2

#2 Miami Heat vs #3 Boston Celtics

This is the series everyone has been waiting to see. LeBron has already been asked about his alleged quitting against Boston last season and he is saying he takes this series personal (whatever that means). This series is why Pat Riley flashed the rings at LeBron last July. This series is what the Miami Heat team as we know it had been training at military bases for. The Celtics limped into the playoffs as they did last year and looked old in the first two games against the Knicks that had everyone in New York talking upset. Boston showed up to Madison Square Garden and turned back the clock to 2009 becoming the first team to make it to the second round this year in the process. Jermaine O’Neal (not the O’Neal I expected to contribute) must have thought he was back in Indiana the way he held down the middle for Boston on both sides of the ball. They will need him to show up again in this series if Shaquille O’Neal can’t go. These aren’t the Knicks, however. The Heat play defense, and Mario Chalmers will not be on skates and jumping out of the way of Rajon Rondo in the paint (hello, Toney Douglas?). History is on Boston’s side as 8 of the last 9 teams to sweep an opening round series have gone on to win the conference semifinals. Ray Allen has torched the Heat to a tune of 57% shooting. Wade will need to step up offensively and score more than 12 points a game for the Heat to win. This is the Heat’s Detroit Pistons of 1991, the Piston’s Boston Celtics of 1989 (the Jordan-led Bulls had to overcome Isiah Thomas’ Bad Boys and Thomas had to get by Bird’s Celtics to get to the proverbial “next level”).

Prediction: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have never beat the Boston Celtics in a playoff series. That ends this year. I am sticking with my upset pick. Heat burn Celtics in 7, 4-3.

Western Conference

#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs #3 Dallas Mavericks

The Lakers struggledwith the upstart Hornets without David West. They cannot afford to take a game off in this series. Jason Kidd is not as fast as Chris Paul, but you can’t call him”Ason” anymore. Kidd has hit some clutch 3′s all year and he can still get his teammates the ball in the right places. Although Kobe brought out the ’97 dunk contest hops in game 5 against Emeka Okafor, it is highly unlikely he will repeat that against the likes of Tyson Chandler and Brendan Heywood. The Mavericks are 15-0 this season when Dirk Nowitzki attempts 10 or more freethrows in a game, but with the Lakers bigs inside Dirk may forget to drive to the basket and settle for jumpshots, not necessarily a bad thing if the shots are falling. Andrew Bynum showed last round why the Lakers refused to entertain including him in Carmelo Anthony trade talks as he was the most consistent player for L.A. against New Orleans.

Prediction: the Lakers will get by the Mavericks 4-2.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8 Memphis Grizzlies

I’ll admit the Grizzlies know more than I did going into the playoffs. They asked for San Antonio and made sure they got ‘em. In the process they made Tim Duncan look like a shell of himself and kept Richard Jefferson out of the series entirely (did he even play?). They dominated the series so thoroughly that it took two miracle shots by Manu Ginobli and Gary Neal in Game 5 just to force overtime or the series would have ended earlier. Zach Randolph has come a long way from his “jailblazer” (with Portland) and “black hole” (with New York) ways of the past. He has remained a big-game scorer and rebounder, but has passed effectively averaging over 5 assists in the SanAntonio series. While the Grizzlies handled the Thunder in the regular season winning 3 out of 4 games, Kevin Durant is on a mission. I thought he would be derailed by a veteran SanAntonio squad, but Memphis has opened the door for him to have a deep post-season run. The key matchup is Tony Allen against the unstoppable Durant. Allen has become the heart and soul of the team since Rudy Gay went out with his shoulder injury and that playoff experience and toughness gained from his time with Boston will take the Grizzlies far in this series.

Prediction: I will give the Grizzlies a little more credit as they showed me something against SanAntonio. OKC has the bigs to withstand Marc Gasol and Randolph and the five inch height advantage Durant has on Allen will be the difference. Oklahoma wins the series 4-3 in 7 hard fought games to set up a rematch with the Lakers for a chance to go to the Finals.

Check back after Round 2 for my updated predictions of who will make the NBA Finals.

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