No Breaks Allowed, Part Three

It’s time for another N.B.A. edition, better known as No Breaks Allowed. The playoffs are dominating my life at the moment, and with only a few more weeks to go in the season, I’m already a bit nervous for the huge hole that will be left in my life after the Finals are over. Rehab is for pussies, so to keep up with my addiction for the NBA, I’ll keep on blogging throughout the summer, anticipating the new season. Hold on, I’m getting way ahead of myself here, because what is really on my mind? Read on, reader.

-Finally! Ray Allen had a good game, which had to happen at one point. The result? The Celtics lost. Luckily for Boston, the Pistons have some troubles of their own too, with Billups struggling. Is his hammy still bothering him? Pistons and Ham, makes me wonder: what is Darvin Ham doing these days? He couldn’t do much, but if he actually did get some burn, we all could enjoy a ham sandwich every once in a while. That guy could dunk.

-Finally! The Celtics won one on the road, which had to happen at one point. The result? The Celtics are now leading 2-1. Expect a statement game by the Pistons on Monday night, if they fail, their season is virtually over.

-I’ve watched all three games between the Lakers and the Spurs, and it’s an interesting series so far. To sum it up: close game, blowout, blowout. After Game 1 I expected the Spurs to have their revenge and win Game 2 in LA. The Lakers however dominated the whole game, with Odom and Fisher doing a lot of damage, Gasol being everywhere, and Kobe being Kobe. Game 3 was the same thing, but now with Spurs doing all the dominating. Some people call Tim Duncan the robot (SLAM), because he’s not showing his emotion, yet doing everything so well it seems like he’s programmed to do it. Optimus Duncan had 22 points and 21 boards, and yes, even showing some passion out there. And since we’re talking about passion, Manu Ginobili had the hearts of the Spurs crowd pumping in the second quarter. He played perfectly, hitting back-to-back 3’s, driving to the basket at will, getting and-ones and whatnot. He had an amazing game, but this was only one game. The Spurs need this again Tuesday night. I’m anxious to see how the Lakers will respond in Game 4.

-The Bulls need to pick hometown hero Derrick Rose. Yeah I know they need a guy like Beasley more, but John Paxson has some players he can deal to get a big man anyway. Hopefully this Rose will be a better fit with the Bulls than the last one (Jalen).

-Speaking of the Bulls: Joakim Noah was arrested the other night. He had a drink in his hand, and since you’re not allowed to drink ‘out in the open’, the cops took him away. And what did they find in his pocket? A cannabis cigarette. Why do I care? Because Noah really seems to be a likeable player. Reading his rookie diary in SLAM Magazine, watching him play, I think he’s a good kid. And the locker room stuff earlier this season might’ve been blown out of proportion. He’s an emotional young guy who still has to learn a lot of stuff, so give him some leeway. But then this shit happens, which does a lot of damage to a young man’s credibility. He must stay out of trouble, because it would be sad to see a player like him tarnished because of this incident, labelled as a headcase which could give him a lot of problems in the near future.

-Did anybody sign Paul Silas yet?

-I have the utmost respect for Charles Barkley. His talk with Ernie Johnson about his gambling problems on TNT last week was as honest as you can be, and how he responded to it was the only right way to deal with this aspect of his life. That’s why I love Inside the NBA: it’s real, the opinions of the guys, the jokes, the criticism, the love, the “Ginobiliiiiiiii!!!!!” I wish TNT also had the NBA Finals.