We're Back

Hyperlinks are woking again, so here's a repost of the "...while wondering what ever happened to Earl Cureton" post that was temporarilly relocated to blogster.com.

How did we miss this? When opening the last entry with Don Imus' "nappy-haired hos", we missed the biggest Ho of them all. It took the guy dying for us to remember him. Me thinks we're slipping. Ah Don, we hardly knew ye. No pun intended...Speaking of Imus, things shook out pretty much how we called it: sponsors fled, ratings (would have) tanked and he got the boot. Oh well...There's nothing we can say about Virginia Tech that will be new or particularly insightful. It was a horrible incident but, sadly, pretty symptomatic of the society we live in. After reading the first few accounts on the day of, we've enacted our usual boycott of all media sensationalism of the shootings, so we're probably fairly ignorant about all of the facts. Still, like OJ, we couldn't completely avoid it. What strikes us is this: if mental illness was treated in this country the same as any other physical illness, maybe this guy would have gotten the help he needed...Line of the Week goes to one of our faves, espn.com's Bill Simmons who, when describing Chris Webber's "miraculous" turnaround since forcing a midseason buyout in Philadelphia and signing with the Pistons, "Watching C-Webb in Detroit has been like watching the last scene in The Usual Suspects for three straight months; all that was missing was [Sixers GM] Billy King dropping a coffee mug in slow motion". Classic...We would have loved to have seen Tin Duncan accept Joey Crawford's challenge to a fight, if only for selfish reasons. Our money would've been on the 64 year-old Crawford putting Timmy in hospital for the duration of the NBA playoffs...Fan of the Week goes to this kid at Oakland's Oracle Arena Tuesday night, with the Warriors on the cusp of their first post-season berth since 1994...Speaking of the Warriors, Simmons also slams the Pacers for their part in picking up Golden State's flotsam in a midseason trade he calls the worst of the season (we agree), saying, "The lesson, as always: Anytime you're considering a six-player NBA trade in which you end up with both overpaid white guys in the deal -- you might want to rethink that baby...How could the Supreme Court do this? I mean, it's now actually illegal to pull a baby halfway out of the womb and kill it? Imagine that! Look, if the kid can reach out and try to fight off the implements you're using, while simultaneously trying to crawl back inside to get away from you, that is not an abortion. It is a murder. Anyone who does not see that is so far out on the lunatic fringe of this issue that noting anyone says to them will matter. Do we think a provision whereby the life -- not health, but life -- of the mother should be facotred in? Yes. If it comes down to mom or kid making it, we'll let mom make that call. But that's as far as we'll go...Bumper Sticker of the Week: "Be Nice to America -- or We'll Bring Democracy to Your Country"...On to the Preview:


The Beautiful Season is upon us, and there are some intriguing matchuups in the first round -- Nellie vs the Mavs, Kobe vs Steve in a rematch of last year's seven-game first round thriller, an intriguing 4-5 matchup. And oh yeah, there are eight teams in the East playing, also. We'll start there, although it's like picking not who is going to win, but who won't lose.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
We had Milwaukee and Indiana in, with Toronto and Orlando out, but we hit on the other six.

(1) Detroit Pistons vs (8) Orlando Magic
Grant Hill and Darko return to the Palace in an attemot to become the first 8 seed to win a seven game series. Don't count on it. Orlando's too young and Detroit, despite their CBA-caliber coach, are just too good.
Detroit in 5

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (7) Washingotn Wizards
Washington was vastly overrated even before Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler went down. Now? They won't even compete. Still, we're not sold on anyone other than LeBron, so it won't be a sweep. And the Cavs should be ashamed.
Cleveland in 5

(3) Toronto Raptors vs (6) Brooklyn Nets
We thought going into the season that surely Sam Mitchell would be fired, Jerry Colangelo would replace him with a quality replacement and the Raps would start sniffing the postseason next season. They're a year ahead -- with Mitchell. (don't be shocked to see him canned anyway, in favor of Rick Carlisle).
The Nets are just bad. They have a few decent pieces, but none of them have an ounce of heart. When your two cornerstones are Jason the wife-beater and Vince the malingerer, you're not in good shape. Look for Toronto to finally seek vengence for the way Carter mailed it in on them a few years ago.
Toronto in 6

(4) Miami Heat vs (5) Chicago Bulls
We'd love to see Miami go to the Finals, so our beloved Mavs can exact revenge. And they just might, but not because we believe in them. We just don't believe in anyone else.
Take the Bulls. Please. They have talent, youth, and absolutely maniacaly-devoted head coach. But on the last night of the season, with their destiny in their own hands, they coughed up the number two seed, losing to the Nets by nine.
Miami in 7

Honestly though, we would not be at all surprised to see any of these teams win their first round series. Flip Saunders is enough to cost Detroit their series; Brooklyn's been to two Finals and has it in them to upset the Dinosaurs; The Bulls can certainly run (we couldn't resist) the Heat out of the post-season and the Wizards...ok, we can't see any team winning, though we're convinced Cleveland is sending LeBron James and the Airport High School junior varsity girls basketball team out there.


WESTERN CONFERENCE
We had Minnesota and the Clippers in, with Utah and the Lake Show missing out. But again, we had the other six correct. Could there be a bigger dissapointment than Kevin Garnett? I mean, he has made it out of the first round once on his career. Once. I don't care who's around him. Can you see Kobe doing that? I didn't think so.

(1) Dallas Mavericks vs (8) Golden State Warriors
Does Nellie have enough hate in him to make for a win or two? Yes. Do the W's have enough talent to make for another? Yes. Could they conceivably match their regular season sweep of the mighty Mavs? Conceivably. Will any of this happen?
Since June of last year, the Mavs' sole focus has been returning to the Finals and finishing the job they apparently thought only took two and three-quarters games to accomplish. They have been focused and fearsome since the first tip in October. While an interesting opening round opponent, there is no way they lose this series.
Dallas in 5

(2) Phoenix Suns vs (7) Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are limping into the postseason at 4-6 in their last 10. Phoenix is 7-3, even after they were locked into the two seed. Forget Nash for a moment, Shawn Marion is a monster. So is Stoudemire. The Suns are just a deeper, more polished team.
But the Lakers have Kobe. And he is a bad man. Also, now that he has actually rebuilt a team from the ashes and not just inherrited a winner, we can give props to Phil as well. They will give Phoenix a very good run, but in the end, they just won't have enough.
Phoenix in 6

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs (6) Denver Nuggets
Beware the Nuggets. That's the buzz around the league. 9-1 in their last 10, AI and 'Mello finally clicking. Old guys from Texas playing in the thin mile-high air. All the elements of an upset are in place.
In the immortal words of Flava Flav, don't believe the hype. Duncan, Parker and Gianobili are more than ready to show they're not washed up just yet and Greg Popovic is quietly one of the best ever at getting the most from the guys he's leading.
San Antonio in 6

(4) Utah Jazz vs (5) Houston Rockets
The fact that Utah is even here is a testament to the amazing rebuilding job Jerry Sloan and co. have done since the departure of StocktontoMalone. The fact that they hobbled to the finish line at a 4-6 clip, while becoming the first team in league history to blow home court to a lower-seeded team is a testament to their youth.
The Rockets are an intriguing team, but there's just something missing there. They have enough to get out of the first round, but don't expect much else.
Houston in 5

Sit back, enjoy the games and be gentle when it turns out we missed on most of our picks.
Until next time,
Paz