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Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in deep trouble

It’s too early to say it’s over, but it’s not too late to say that the Lakers are in serious trouble.

Perhaps the most glaring thing the Lakers showed the world on Sunday is that they are a suspect defense capable of plenty of mental lapses. Here’s an observation by  Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN on the Lakers absolutely poor performance on defense.

Kamenetzky writes:

One common strategy when playing a dynamic point guard like Paul is to turn him into either a scorer or a distributor. One or the other, but not both. Fair to say the Lakers failed in that regard against CP3, who entered halftime with 11 points and 10 dimes, and finished with 31 points, 14 assists, seven boards and four steals. But it wasn't just Paul who hurt them. Jack was nearly as effective off the screen/roll sets, racking up five assists in 21 minutes of burn to go with 15 points. Something feels tolerable about Paul penetrating and finishing with a slick pass to Landry on the post. I suspect fans aren't quite so charitable when the combo is Jack and Gray.

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Clearly the Lakers can’t allow this to be their identity. Even if the Lakers can survive the Hornets they are likely to see either Tony Parker, or Russell Westbrook, not to mention Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, or Dwyane Wade in the Finals(clearly Wade isn’t a point guard but he is called upon often to create like a point guard).

The Lakers must find a way to play defense.

A team as old as they are has no other choice but to man up and slow down the game and the offensive barrage. If they can’t there is no reason to think Paul can’t go off like that again.

This series could break bad for the Lakers in a heartbeat. If it hasn’t already. 

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Chris Paul’s big game performance no surprise

When the Lakers vs. Hornets game needed a player to come up big, Chris Paul answered the challenge each and every time.

This wasn’t the game the Lakers expected. The Hornets, who had been living on dying on the health of Chris Paul’s knee all season, were supposed to get blown out by a team on a mission.

Instead the Lakers got punched in the mouth. 

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You can blame Kobe’s bruised neck, or the surprise of a Game 1 underdog playing with aggression and emotion, but the Lakers got exposed, even if for a day.

It seemed that every time the Lakers mounted a comeback, Paul answered back with a big shot or a big stop. Those two things the Lakers were never able to do. The Lakers pushed and pushed but it was too little too late.

It was Paul’s game.

It’s what we’ve come to expect but yet are always surprised by. When the Lakers were trailing by six, Paul reached back and hit a jumper from the top of the key and buried the Lakers Game 1 hopes.

The problem for L.A, whether they had won or lost the game, already existed by halftime. Their defense proved to be their weakness. In a conference of teams that can score at will, it’s unlikely the Lakers will find themselves with an easy assignment defensively.  

It was an opening you didn’t want to give a guy like Paul. In a year of Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo, plenty of people forget that there might not be a better floor general in the NBA than the man who resides in New Orleans.

The Lakers were reminded of that today. We all were. 

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Miami Heat can’t afford to defer to LeBron in crunch time

Spare me the 82games.com stats.

I want to see it for myself.

The legend of LeBron James as a great crunch time scorer has over shadowed the rumor that LeBron James is not a great clutch time player.

The legend is false.

The rumor is true.

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There’s an easy statistic to figure out who is clutch and who is not. It’s the sight test. It’s the ability to produce results over a certain period of time to show that it’s true.

I can tell you with certainty that Derrick Rose has been clutch this season, because I’ve seen it time and time again. Michael Jordan was clutch too.

Derek Fisher and Robert Horry have been clutch their whole careers. Even Kyle Korver, the Bulls crunch time man, has been known to sink a big three.

Show me where LeBron has? A guy who’s as clutch as the stat heads say wouldn’t have to show me a sheet. I should already know.

LeBron fails in the clutch because he’s too busy trying to figure out what every one expects him to do in the clutch rather than figuring out what he’s supposed to do.

He doesn’t run without the ball well. He doesn’t shoot free throws well and his three pointer isn’t deadly.

The Heat have Wade, a supreme decision maker in the clutch, and therefore there is no need to put it in the hands of a man who has had so many clutch moments that no one can seem to remember them at all.

LeBron is incredibly important to the Miami Heat’s post-season success.

Just not in the clutch.  

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Manny Pacquiao gets nothing but money from a Floyd fight

Everyone wants to see it. Welcome to the next great thing we’ll never get to see.

For over a year the masses have been clamoring to see Manny Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., it’s to the point where it’s all either one can be asked.

Phil Boxing.com wrote this about the endless taunts that Mayweather Jr. receives.

It seems that Floyd Mayweather cannot escape the ghost that is Manny Pacquiao wherever he goes. Be it shopping in a boutique store in his city of residence in Las Vegas or a mere spectator in a stadium in St. Louis, Missouri in the Midwest during the Devon Alexander vs. Andriy Kotelnik bout and now here in the mountains of Connecticut in the northeast, the taunting and heckling follows him. It is only up to him to stop it and he knows that the only way to do it is fight Manny.

Maybe so, but at what cost to Manny?

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With all due respect to Mayweather, who MAY be the best fighter in the world, he retired a few years back. At this moment, Manny is the draw. He makes the money, and he’s the best in the world.

Floyd coming out of retirement benefits Floyd financially, and it allows him to face up to the taunts but for Manny it only puts him in an awkward position.

Beat Floyd and he goes back into hiding and Manny is still the best in the world and the biggest draw in the sport.

Lose to him and Floyd goes back to retirement and Manny is now best in the sport, but with an asterisk next to his name.

Unless Manny needs the money, and with boxers it’s often the case, then it’s worth it to do it. However with the support of public opinion on his side, Manny shouldn’t be looking to fight Floyd. What sense would that make? 

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Kobe Bryant suffers neck injury as New  Orleans takes halftime lead

The Lakers are supposed to have an easy round 1, but no one told Chris Paul that.

The New Orleans Hornets lead the Lakers by eight points at halftime and it’s unclear what kind of condition Kobe will be in for the second half.

Bryant fell and hurt his neck while trying to make a fall away jumper. The Los Angeles crowd now waits to see what Kobe will have, if anything, in the second half.

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The staggering thing about the game has been the Hornets ability to score with ease. Before the bruised neck, the Hornets were still getting their shots off rather uncontested.

While it’s hard to predict the rest of the game just on halftime(as the Bulls and the Heat game showed us yesterday) but the truth is that New Orleans is exposing the major flaw in the defense of L.A.

While the point guard match up of Derek Fisher and Chris Paul is a clear mismatch, the rest of the Hornets should be at a size and talent disadvantage.

The only way for the Lakers to pull through this is by Kobe deferring to his talented cast and let Bynum, Gasol and Odom get themselves into the mix. Kobe will have to defer if they want to win. 

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Chicago Bulls make statement in Game 1 against the Pacers

Close games don’t mean a thing the playoffs, just as blowouts don’t mean much more.

The Bulls didn’t want to go toe to toe with the Pacers the way they did Saturday-being bullied on both ends for the first 44 minutes-but it’s game they got.

The important thing was that they won. That’s all that mattered.

But just because a close game doesn’t count more in the boxscore, doesn’t mean it means nothing.

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The Bulls found out just what they were made of, and Jon Greenberg of ESPN Chicago.com points out that the Bulls are certain to grow from these mistakes.

Greenberg writes:

 Is this the kind of hard-fought game Rose and the Bulls needed to kick-start what could be two months of playoff games?

"No," Rose said, laughing. "If anything, I would love a blowout game. We definitely didn't want a game like this in the first game."

But this is the game they got and as long as Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has a video screen and a larynx, they will learn from their mistakes. The Bulls didn't lead until there were 48 seconds left in the game, but they still won, despite enough defensive breakdowns to make Thibodeau's head explode.

The Bulls took control of a game before it was too late. They never gave up and no matter how much Indiana pushed them, or how cold Derrick Rose was shooting yesterday, the did what they had to do to win.

No championship is ever handed to the winning team. It has to be taken and no one believes in giving it up that easy. The Pacers gave the Bulls their best shot and fell short, because the Bulls made it so.

Just like champions always do. 

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Miami Heat face game two uncertainty with Dwyane Wade

The last thing Miami wants after a scary game 1 win against a confident Philadelphia 76ers team, is to see their leader go down.

But it looks like that is what happened.

Dwyane Wade, according to the Associated Press is suffering from migraines and it’s impacting his potential to play in Game 2.

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The AP writes:

 Wade has battled migraines at various times during his career and in January missed a game because of symptoms. That bout left him with light sensitivity for several days. He used tinted goggles in a game at New York but still scored 34 points in a loss to the Knicks.

The headache started to bother Wade before Saturday's Game 1, a 97-89 Miami victory, in which Wade finished with just 17 points and battled rare foul trouble.

The good news for the Heat is that while the 76ers were a tough out, they are not one of the Eastern Conference elite. Clearly the Heat would be in bigger trouble if this were happening during a series against the Bulls or the Celtics, but the 76ers might be manageable.

Still, the concern should be two-fold. The first being that the Heat are not the same without one of their three guys. Losing someone like Wade is crippling for them, especially if he’s gone for more than a game.

The other issue is the problems with migraines in general. There is treatment for them, but not generally  a cure. The best the Heat can hope for is that Wade doesn’t have a flare up in a later series. Even if he played through it, it’s doubtful he’d be effective. 

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Kobe Bryant could be the Lakers Achilles heel

The Lakers cannot win a third NBA title without Kobe Bryant. That’s never disputed, but they can lose one because of him and that’s just as easy to understand.

As L.A prepares for its official title defense you can’t shake the vision of Kobe chucking up shot after shot against the Kings. There was Kobe throwing up shots with his will to win overriding his immense basketball IQ. It’s like he wants you to know how bad he wants it.

He wants you to know that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if that mean putting his team in position to lose.

But then, Kobe hit that three to send the game into overtime and you forget about how he almost derailed the train just a few seconds earlier.

This has always been the Kobe we know. He’s the special superstar who, when he’s focused and selfless, is one of the great winners of all time. But he’s the same superstar, that when he selfish and ego driven, he’s likely to bury his team with his own spectacular performance.

The Lakers need Kobe to share and buy into the team concept now more than ever.

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He’s no longer as physically gifted, and after three straight seasons of 100 or more games, he can’t possibly be well rested.

Kobe has to remain clear on the fact that no matter who steps up for the Lakers, even if it’s not him, praise will come for Kobe.

But praise will not come before victory.

Winning will cement his status in the game, but losing due to his own selfishness will only hurt.

I think in the end his obsession with winning a sixth title will be the reason he misses his opportunity.  

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Miami Heat rallies as Dwyane Wade asserts himself in crunch time

The debate for the Miami Heat all season is who would get the call when the Heat needed to score big points and make big decisions in the game.  

Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game, the ball was in the hands of Dwyane Wade when the Heat needed big points and big decisions.

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com wrote this about Wade’s crunch time role.

Arnovitz wrote:

"Wade is going to have the ball," Collins said with an air of certainty. "We had planned on that coming in, that if it came down to crunch time at the end of the game, we wanted our best individual defender on Wade because when Miami really took off this year, they put the ball in Wade's hands."

Considering that Erik Spoelstra has remained adamant that no such designation exists for the Heat, Collins' certitude speaks volumes. Is Spoelstra bluffing when he said, rather petulantly, "I think that's probably so overstated," in regard to the notion that Wade is his closer?

Spoelstra is bluffing.

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But the Heat almost didn’t have a chance. In what the Heat thought would be a blow by series, they were treated to a surprising first game from a veteran team with one of the games best teachers in head coach Doug Collins.

The Heat struggled and trailed early, but as the fourth rolled around the Heat finally turned it on.

That’s when Dwyane Wade took over.

What might be most surprising is that Wade not only took over, but seemed to freeze out LeBron James. Not intentionally, but though his own decision making.

Miami looks to have found their fourth quarter game plan: leave it in the hands of your best closer.

That’s Wade. 

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Carl Edwards looks for new deal on heels of great start

Carl Edwards knows that Roush Fenway wants to keep him around.

After signing Greg Biffle to a three year extension, the higher ups are looking to get a deal done with Edwards, but he’s not concerned about it right now. Especially since he knows Roush wants him back.  

David Newton of ESPN spoke to Steve Newmark, the president of Roush Fenway and here’s what he said:

I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to get something done. I think it's the right fit for Carl, Roush Fenway and for Carl's sponsors.

Carl and I, we have constant dialogue about it. Clearly our main focus is to have Carl continue to run for the championship, and hopefully we can get [sponsor] Aflac and Carl a championship this year.

At the same time it's the nature of the business and you have to do a lot of this stuff in parallel.

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It’s clear that Roush wants him back, but don’t expect a deal to come anytime soon.

While I believe Edwards is going to stay with Roush, he’d be a fool not to look around, if for no other reason than to drive the contract price up.

Edwards could very well win the Aaron’s 499 today, but even if that happens he’ll continue to look at places like Joe Gibbs Racing(which he’s already visited) and Hendrick Motorsports(the big boys on the block).

Talladega should set the stage for Edwards to get closer to a new deal, but he’s not racing to finish it. He knows he’s got plenty of time. 

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L.A Lakers go as Phil Jackson goes

If you wonder how impactful Jackson has been as a head coach, Mike Bresnahan from the Los Angeles Times, had this to say about Phil Jackson’s championship dominance.

Bresnahan writes:

 As a reminder, the Lakers' postseason media guide has 17 photos on its cover, all of them of Jackson. With a teary-eyed Derek Fisher after last season's championship. With a younger-looking Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant a decade ago. With Bryant, Fisher and Pau Gasol in front of the Tower Bridge in London last fall. With President Obama. With longtime companion Jeanie Buss. With his right hand on his chin, almost touching his trademark soul patch.

In the biggest-picture coaching stat of them all, Jackson has an 11-8 record, winning almost a dozen titles in 19 previous seasons. It's a mark that doesn't look special until it's compared to other highly respected coaches.

Gregg Popovich is 4-10. Jerry Sloan was 0-26. Red Auerbach was 9-11, Pat Riley 5-19.

Jackson, 65, is now chasing his fourth "three-peat."

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After 11 NBA titles and 13 NBA Finals appearances(almost as many alone as either Boston or LA have had wins in their entire history) Phil Jackson has learned what makes his teams tick.

It’s his confidence.

It was that way in Chicago with the Bulls and it’s that way in Los Angeles with the Lakers. They go as Phil goes.

There is never a panic button, never a moment where doubt creeps in. Watching Jackson on the sideline you are reminded of the work he puts in during the regular season. It’s getting guys to believe in their roles. It’s telling Lamar Odom that he’ll be valuable coming off the bench and watching Odom buy into it.

It’s him telling Kobe to trust in his teammates and when Kobe does the results are beautiful.

It’s convincing his team that the only thing that can beat them is the clock and nothing else.

It’s a coaches job and it’s not easy, because it can’t be taught without supreme confidence, and Jackson’s confidence(or arrogance if you choose) is sky high.

While the Lakers may empty the tank before they repeat, it won’t be because they folded or wilted in the moment.

This is Phil Jackson’s team and he won’t allow that to happen. 

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NBA Playoffs 2011 have Celtics on verge of being knocked out

Don’t believe the rope-a-dope. It doesn’t exist. The Celtics aren’t playing possum. They weren’t playing dead when Chicago pushed them around at the United Center. They weren’t playing dead when the Heat came out and got tough with the team that spent much of the season bullying them.

Jackie MacMullan had this to say about the Celtics concerns heading into the post season.

The collapse of Boston's offensive schemes remains the No. 1 concern (besides health) as the Celtics prepare for their playoff series with the New York Knicks. The Celtics have dealt with myriad personnel changes, the inability of O'Neal to stay on the floor, the uneven play of Rajon Rondo and the controversial decision to deal Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline.

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Maybe her most important note is the play of Rondo. He’s been a symbol for the Celtics lackluster performance in the absence of Kendrick Perkins.

Never has a trade seemed to put a team into such a tailspin, but that’s exactly what has happened to the Celtics. They really believed with their starting five on the floor that no one could beat them, and now all Boston is left with is doubt. It’s troublesome to say the least, but it’s just how it goes.

The Celtics can’t just waltz in and turn it on. Regardless of a win against the Knicks, there are harder roads ahead. The Celtics have made a name for themselves punching other teams in the mouth.

Danny Ainge did it to them at the trade deadline. Mike Tyson once said “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” The Celtics don’t know what their plan is anymore.

It may be too late now to figure it out. 

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Amare Stoudemire must step to next level in playoffs

Amare can ditch all the bouquets that have been thrown his way over the last six months. They mean nothing now.

Amare may have played hard all season, but as of today none of it matters. Real champions, real leaders are decided here in the playoffs and I’ve got my doubts that he can be that guy.

Dave D’Alessandro from the New Jersey Star Ledger talks about Amare’s rise in NYC.

 He had proclaimed that “the Knicks are back” eight months ago, he got them out of the gate very quickly, he buoyed their spirit after the biggest trade in franchise history since Bellamy-DeBusschere resulted in a seismic roster shuffle and a stumble, he kicked some tails when they needed kicking, and, as promised, he delivered the first postseason Garden party in seven years while establishing himself as an MVP candidate.

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Truth from D’Alessandro but that was before Melo joined the party. Once he did Amare has seemed to cool. His sizzle has been more fizzle since Denver shipped their golden boy back home.

And that’s where the real leadership comes in. We can wax philosophical about what it takes to be a winner, but there’s no disputing that winners do whatever it takes. Great players humble themselves, trust their teammates and take a backseat when they have to in order to make it happen.

It’s easy to be the top dog when it means not having to share the spotlight, and hence the glory that comes with winning. But when you are asked to share it with a player better than yourself, can you do that?

Will Amare be willing to settle for making his contribution on the glass at the end of the games? Will he be ok drawing defenders in for a kick out to Billups or Anthony, both who are more deadly in crunch time than himself?

If the last few weeks have been an indication when can surmise that Amare was ready for primetime…as long as he was the only show to watch.

He’ll have a chance to prove critics wrong, but I’m not sure he can do that. 

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Talladega presents good opportunity but big challenge for Jeff Gordon

If Jeff Gordon has had his eye on winning the Aaron’s 499, then qualifying for the pole position will go a long way in accomplishing that goal.

As a matter of fact, Gordons feat was part of a historic day for his team, Hendrick Motorsports, as their team managed to score the top four positions for Sunday’s race.

Now, all Gordon has to do is bring home a victory which, as he told Lee Spencer of FoxSports.com, is much easier said than done. 

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Gordon said:

Anybody can win this race. We saw in Daytona. Look at the top five. There are guys that you wouldn't necessarily expect to be up there, so anybody can win this race. I look at the competition as being ... first of all the biggest competition is ourselves to make sure we survive and get to the finish. You have to watch for overheating. You've got to stay out of the wrecks. You have got to have kind of a flawless day to get yourself there.

It’s the truth that pole position gives you an advantage but rarely guarantees you a victory. The key though will be for Hendrick to make good on one of those top four spots. Anything other than a win for one of the four drivers is a failure for a team.

I think they’ll have a winner in Earnhardt Jr. He seems primed for a victory and this would be a good victory for him.

Gordon wins pole position, but the glory will go to Dale Jr. 

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White Sox made right choice with Bobby Jenks

It hasn’t taken long for the Sox to figure out what the problem is with their team. The White Sox, despite their cold bats against the Angels this weekend, have been having trouble out of the bullpen.

It seems the White Sox are suffering the same fate that most of the MLB seems to suffer: throw big money at a bullpen and watch it blowup in your face. Throw no money at a bullpen and watch it flourish for the season.

The White Sox threw money and it’s starting to look like a robbery. From the sophomore struggles of Chris Sale, to the ill-advised move of Matt Thornton to closer and the badness that has been Will Ohman. The Sox have been reeling and Bobby Jenks is getting the last laugh in Boston.

Well sort of.

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While I’m sure it gives the big man no satisfaction that the Red Sox are more than pitiful, it certainly brings a smile to his face to know that his closer role is no less secure than when he was last in the Windy City.

But that’s the important thing to remember: with Jenks it was no less secure. Jenks had a short memory and a big ego: two traits that are essential to being a closer, but he didn’t have results and with a big payday on the horizon the Sox got rid of him to get value. While the value hasn’t worked out, the decision was right.

Jenks had become an unreliable closer with a bad attitude and a questionable work ethic. The Sox struggles may continue until someone on the Sox figures out how to step up in the late innings, but don’t regret Jenks.

It’s still the right call.