Bleacher Report - Articles by Prasaad Ayyanar

Boston Three Party Failed in Los Angeles

Prasaad Ayyanar — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:35:58 -0500

Wow...hooh....for Lakers and BOO Ahh Jeezz for Celtics...

Didn't I tell you that I will write on Christmas day for all the Celtics’ fans who believed just too much on an "old" team?

I also remember writing an article that Lakers’ starters are better than Celtics, and oh boy, they were lot better than Celtics today.

And guess what?

Phil Jackson's 1,000th win was be a moment to cherish.

I will leave the Boston-ions to keep yelling, "Beat L.A!" before Feb. 5th when the two teams meet again. Till then, merry Christmas to the Lakers and wake up Celtics; you are not the champions yet.

Key Stats.

Best defensive team Celtics had only three blocks but the Lakers had nine.

Unselfish passing Celtics had only 22 assists but the Lakers had 27.

Celtics’ bench had 13 points, but the Lakers had 22 bench points.

With the “best” three-point shooters in Allen and Pierce, the Celtics only had five, but the Lakers had eight.

The Celtics’ turnovers are more than Ray Allen's 14.

75 percent free throw for the Celtics and 80 percent for the Lakers.

The Lakers beating the Celtics in almost every department except steals. Paul Peirce aforementioned that we don't care about streaks. We play defense in our gym but tonight Paul would know the streak is over and has more work at gym.

And oh yeah, Kobe is no doubt the best player on the planet.

Boston fans should now start to "think” and stop to "dreaming."

Lakers, the best in the West, beat the so-called Beast in NBA

Let’s wait till Feb. 5th and see how the Boston Garden returns the favor.

NBA's Big Three By End of 2008-A Look

Prasaad Ayyanar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:31:25 -0500

Okay! Let's see how the rest of 2008 breaks down in terms of winning games.

We'll start the breakdown with the top three teams in the league:

Cleveland has nine more games left this year.

The Cavaliers will be playing both the 76ers and Wizards in the next seven games. The tough—or should I say competitive—games would be with the Houston Rockets and with the Denver Nuggets.

The rest should be all LeBron Headliners. The game that they might lose would be one of the two games that the Cavaliers play against the underrated Miami Heat. Lets see how the LeBron-Wade friendly feud goes.

Boston has 11 games left this year.

They will be playing a tough schedule for the rest of the month. The Celtics meet the New Orleans Hornets at home, which would be a test for Rondo against CP3. Though Chris Paul is a better dictator on the floor than Rajon Rondo, we have seen Rajon Rondo exploding recently.

That's a good game to watch and if the Hornets win it, that should wake the Celtics up from their dream. Even if the Celtics embarrass Chris Paul and the Hornets, their next game is against the Utah Jazz.

The two-year pro Rondo will face the two best point guards in the west in back to back games. Though Rondo has great teammates in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, it's still tough to beat Coach Sloan's team.

They meet Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York, which should make for a good road trip and some fine steaks til they land at Staples Arena.

Everyone is waiting for the rivalry game on Christmas day against the Los Angeles Lakers. Some predict Lakers will win, and some say Celtics are dominant. Lets wait and see who gets the Christmas gift. The Celtics will also meet the Sacramento Kings, who recently upset the Lakers with their quickness, and they finish the year at Portland—a big threat to most teams.

The Lakers have nine more games left this year.

They are currently winning, but struggling to find a way to get back their energy and their defense. The Lakers have managed to stay on top at 18-3, and the West is still weird with the standings, trades, and injuries.

Their tough games amongst their games left in '08 will be against the Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, and the Orlando Magic.

Point guards Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar will have to face quickies Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul. Center Andrew Bynum will have to compete with studs like Kevin Garnett, Tyson Chandler, and Dwight Howard. Kobe Bryant will go head to head with Paul Pierce which will be fun to see on Christmas Day.

I predict they will get away with a win against Orlando, and the rest of the six teams they play this year. However, against the Celtics my mind says they will lose, but my heart says the Lakers will win. I say that because of me being a Lakers fan. But knowing basketball I give the Celtics the edge over the struggling Lakers.

So, to conclude:

Cleveland Cavaliers - With their current winning streak and the team being 19-3 now, I expect they would finish 27-4 to finish the 2008 year.

Boston Celtics - I predict the Celtics, who play six of their last 11 games in '08 all across the time zones, might end up losing two to three games. Boston will finish a record of 29-4 this year

With all the Drama staying in Hollywood, the Lakers will finish this year with 25-5 record.

Let's see in 2009 if my predictions are correct.

Lakers or Celtics: Who Has the Better Starters?

Prasaad Ayyanar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:30:19 -0500

Derek Fisher vs. Rajon Rondo

Derek Fisher: 9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.2 RPG, and 81% FT in 11 seasons—and solid, veteran leadership.

Rajon Rondo: 8.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4 RPG, and 63% FT in three seasons.

Though Rondo's numbers are comparatively better, Fisher has three championship rings, been to the Finals five times, whereas Rondo is fresh off of his lone Finals experience.

Lakers by one.

Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen

Kobe Bryant: 25 PPG, 4.6 APG, 5.3 RPG, and 84% FT in 11 seasons.

Ray Allen: 21 PPG, 3.8 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 89% FT in 11 seasons.

Bryant’s three rings trump Allen’s single ring. Additionally, Bryant is a 10-time All-Star and plays at the level of Michael Jordan. Allen is only an eight-time All-Star.

Lakers by two.

Andrew Bynum vs. Kendrik Perkins

Andrew Bynum: 8 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.4 BPG, and 66% FT in four seasons.

Kendrick Perkins: 5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG, and 62% FT in five seasons.

So I give Bynum more points and the Lakers command the lead.

Lakers by three.

Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol

Paul Gasol: 19 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 3.1 APG, and 73% FT in nine seasons.

Kevin Garnett: 20 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 4.4 APG, and 78% FT in 14 seasons.

KG’s stats are way better than Gasol’s stats. Garnett, like Bryant, is a 10-time All-Star, which beats Gasol’s single appearance in an All-Star game.

Lakers lead, 3-1.

Paul Pierce vs. Vladimir Radmanovic

Vladimir Radmanovic: 9.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 38% 3PT, and 76% FT in nine seasons.

Paul Pierce: 23 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.9 APG, 36% 3PT, and 79% FT in 11 seasons.

Without a doubt, Paul Pierce is a much better player than Vladimir Radmanovic.

Lakers lead, 3-2.

In conclusion, the Lakers starters are better than Boston, by a final margin of 3-2.

Also, we all know that with Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, and Sasha Vujacic starring as the bench mob, they’re much better than the Celtics' bench, who are without James Posey.

With both teams losing only two games this season, and me waiting for Christmas day, I give the Lakers the edge, and name them “Best Team in the League.”

New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers: Who Will Shine in 2009?

Prasaad Ayyanar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:32:22 -0500

The Knicks (8-9) may have been playing basically seven players because of trades, injuries, and the Stephon Marbury situation.

But with zone defense and the three-point killing instinct of Mike D'Antoni's style, I believe the Knicks would be a surprise team like the Golden State Warriors were a couple of years ago.

Knowing it how easy Mike can make it happen with the Eastern Conference contenders, I rate the Knicks as the most likely to be the surprise team this year.

But if Nate Robinson or Quentin Richardson or Chris Duhon is injured then i think the second surprise team will be the Hawks (10-6), who had a great start. If Mike Bibby andJoe johnson show more aggressiveness, then I think they can perform like they did in last year's playoffs against the Celtics.

The Portland Trail Blazers are not going to be out of the playoffs this year for sure—at least until the second round. Does that mean they will be in the top eight? Yes—and it also means Mark Cuban should make some more trades, as Dallas will not make the playoffs this season.

Nate McMillan has brought the team with a different mentality this year. The Blazers' size and other factors make me feel that they are the third surprise team in the league.