King James Finally Crowned NBA Champion

(photo courtesy of carltonjordan.com)

It took Lebron James 9 seasons, but he's finally joined the NBA's champion elite, guiding his Miami Heat to a 121-106 victory over a promising Oklahoma City squad.

  With Lebron James’ 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, he became only the fifth player in NBA history to record a triple-double in the close out game of the Finals. He has joined NBA greats Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Larry Bird, and most recently Tim Duncan who did it in 2003.

 The Miami Heat tied an NBA Finals record by making 14 3-Pointer’s, seven of which were by seldom used Mike Miller.

   Lebron James is one of the most heavily criticized players in NBA history, and he may be disliked by many, but for now all we can do is praise him for leading the Heat to their 2nd ever Championship.

- Nard Dogg

By the Beard of Harden!

(photo courtesy of abasketballjones.com)

The NBA Finals will be fueled by the likes of top stars such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James & Dwayne Wade. Shuffled among these big names, one man stands out from the rest of the pack. That man is James Harden. This year’s 6^th Man-of-the-Year Award winner will be the Thunder’s secret weapon on route to an NBA title. He has hit several clutch shots over the course of these playoffs and continues to play with consistency. On a team that’s run by the NBA scoring champ, and one of the top five point guards in the league, Harden has managed to make himself an impact player. Powered by a beard that would make Zeus jealous, Harden will be the X-Factor and will one day soon be one of the top guns in the league.


-Raindrops

Philadelphia 76ers: Rise of the Underdogs

(photo courtesy of sportslogos.net)

(photo courtesy of therx.com)

With the Conference Finals underway, the Heat, Celtics, Spurs & Thunder will do all they can for a chance at competing in the NBA Finals. One team that won’t be is the Philadelphia 76ers, whose playoff hopes were crushed by the Celtics Saturday Night.

(photo courtesy of thestartingfive.net)

(photo courtesy of depressedfan.com)

The Sixers just barely made the playoffs and were considered underdogs from the jump. They silenced their critics by knocking out the top-seeded Bulls in the first round, and brought fourth place Boston to 7 games in round 2. Although officially done for the season, the 76ers proved that the future is theirs. With an average age of 25, Philly should be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. With their showing in these playoffs, fans can now see that it’s time for the rise of the underdogs.


-Raindrops

Have The Heat Already Won The East?

(photo courtesy of www.peninsulaismightier.com) 

The Miami Heat look like they might just be untouchable in the Eastern Conference. Chicago were the only real contenders to their crown, and we all saw how they looked without D-Rose. It's ludicrous to think Philadelphia or Indiana can matchup with the Heat, and Boston would have had their hands full with that lineup even a few years ago when they were the big dogs. With Rose out of the picture along with Dwight Howard, it has become painfully obvious just how lopsided the talent pool in the NBA really is. Blue collar teams that reside in the middle of the pack can simply do no more than compete, creating an elitist culture that is even more exclusive than English soccer. For the swaths of Heat haters, it would seem that their hopes live on only in the West. 

Canada's Got Talent; Struggling on IIHF Stage

(photo courtesy of thechroniclehearald.com)

At the 2012 IIHF World Championships, Canada boasts yet another roster that is oozing talent, but *gasp* they've failed to utterly dominate thus far.  Canadian fans don't accept mediocrity. Despite an epic gold medal at the Olympics, Canadian hockey has begun to show an alarming trend; players are putting on the red and white, automatically saying "gold medal, please". American basketball and Brazilian soccer have had similar problems; heavy hangs the head that wears the crown. 

(photo courtesy of hockeycanada.ca)

Canada lacks chemistry. A group of stars are playing as individuals, just as they normally do in their respective NHL roles. The goaltending depth is not what it used to be, so bailouts are harder to come by. Canada's sheer talent does win out sometimes, i.e. today vs Finland. The question is: is that going to be enough to rule the world?

Lamar Odom, Dallas Mavericks part ways

(Photo Courtesy of dailyworldwidenews.com)

The Dallas Mavericks and Lamar Odom reached an agreement on Monday that will let Odom leave the team without getting released.

In Odom's only season in Dallas, he played his worst basketball of his career posting career lows in every single important statistic you can think of. Now I understand he's gone through many personal tragedies in his life, but the way he spent his time in Dallas was pathetic.

I have no sympathy for bums like this in the NBA. He's a long time veteran in the best league in the world and a lot of players would die to be given the opportunities he's had. For all I care Lamar can go to being the crybaby husband of that pig Khloe Kardashian and leave the NBA to the players who aren't mentally unstable to play a full season.

-Nard Dogg

Kobe Bryant is a God

(photo courtesy of thestatechamp.com)

When it's all said and done, Kobe may not leave the same legacy as the "GOAT" Michael Jordan, but you can't deny his heart. Kobe was awful on Saturday, going 0-15 from quarters one to three, posting the worst shooting performance of his career. It wasn't until there were only 7 minutes left that he hit his first field goal, but he still finished by hitting the game-winning three pointer. As he made the shot you can see Hornets guard Trevor Ariza just smiling like he knew it was going in. Heck, everyone in the building knew it was going in. The next night he shakes it off and explodes for 40 points in a win vs Golden State. The "Black Mamba" is truly one of the best ever and I'm not looking forward to the day he retires. 

- Nard Dogg

Nash Feeling The Heat, Getting Out Of The Suns

(photo courtesy of USAToday.com)

Steve Nash is probably the next big star on the move in the search for a title. The rumors swirling about his future in Phoenix were put to rest today in an interview with Dan Patrick; unless Phoenix can make some big moves in the off-season, Nash will be signing with a contender. It's a story as old as time, the classy franchise player on a sub-par team reaches the moment of truth.

(photo courtesy of mrbasketball.com)

Nash's honesty in calling out his beloved Suns is a revelation. PC and DB athletes alike don't often go on record so bluntly. If Phoenix obliges and Nash returns, it'll be a reversal of the cliche. If not, the Miami Heat might get a whole lot better. Either way, Nash's legacy could possibly ride on what happens this off-season.

Raptors Rebuilding the Right Way

(photo courtesy of thescore.com)

The Toronto Raptors may not win, but damned if they don’t look good losing. New head coach Dwane Casey is being dubbed by many as the team’s MVP, as this year’s edition of the Raps have shown a commitment to team defense unlike any in recent memory. That’s good news for the future, plus the Raptors will have an influx of talent coming in next season. 

(photo courtesy of therecord.com)

The Raptors are in position to possibly land a lottery pick. How that pick is used is anyone’s guess, but the Raptors will get a quality player. Euro board-beast Jonas Valanciunas will likely make his NBA debut next year, and should help their struggling rebounding. Add all that with the development of core dudes like Amir Johnson, DeMar DeRozan, and Andrea Bargnani, and you’ve got an exciting future in the Great White North. 

UNC More Than One Man: We Aren't Marshall

(photo courtesy of uptownsoldier.com)

 The status of UNC point guard Kendall Marshall is haunting the dreams of Tar Heels supporters leading up to Friday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup with Ohio. Marshall underwent surgery yesterday to repair a broken wrist that will likely keep him on the shelf. The injury has many ready to burn their brackets as UNC was a popular choice to go deep. Marshall has played in integral role in UNC’s success this tear, setting an ACC record for assists. The team has relied heavily on his distribution, with injuries dogging them all season. 

(photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com)

This may not be the apocalypse some gloom-mongers expect though. This type of adversity has galvanized this team all year, and they still boast impact players like Harrison Barnes. Don’t be surprised if we see a rematch of the ACC semis against rival NC State in the elite 8.

Toronto's Operation #TankNation

(Photo courtesy of storm-nation.blogspot.ca)

(photo courtesy of raptorswatch.com)

                         

There's a debate raging around Toronto about the validity of #TankNation. It's the notion that when lower-end teams clearly aren't playoff bound, it's in their best interest to tank down the stretch to secure a better draft pick. 

Obviously no professional athlete would lose purposely, but this is more about the fans. The only thing they have to look forward to is next year, and they don't want their team to lose, but it wouldn't hurt. I understand the argument that to tank is classless, and it is, but bottom line, it's a struggling team's best chance at improving. The Raptors have embraced their fate and are tanking accordingly, while the Leafs are clinging to false hope, and after playing themselves out of the playoffs, will now likely play themselves out of a lottery spot too. #WorstCaseScenario.

Carmelo Carries on Tradition of Cry Baby Culture

(photo courtesy of si.com)

The Knicks are stuck in a free fall that has them slipping from the playoff picture. Linsanity faded in the blinding light of Carmelo Anthony’s star, and now that shine has cost coach Mike D’Antoni his job. With that much offensive talent on the Knickerbocker roster, a bread-and-butter offensive specialist like D’Antoni has no excuse for sucking this hard. The way he’s exited however is a sad sign of the times. Reports had D’Antoni’s relationship with Melo deteriorating rapidly in the final days, with Melo asking for a trade. Thus the powers that be made their choice, and a spoiled brat got his way yet again. Sadly the NBA has cultivated a culture in which egos make business decisions, teaching the ever-valuable lesson to kids that if everyone likes you, you can get your boss fired. True role models.

*The NBA Playoffs: Where The Cool Kids Hang

    


    Tonight the most irrelevant round in all of sport gets under way: round one of the NBA playoffs. The time of year when all the teams who battled so very hard to get into the post season are reminded that they play in a league of haves and have nots. Geeks and jocks. It's not often in basketball that a lower seeded team gets the job done in round one, but some competitive match-ups can be expected. Let's look at how the first round shapes up...


    The NBA's best Chicago Bulls take on possibly the least exciting team to make the cut: The Indiana Pacers. This series is going to be a wash, and it serves as a metaphor for the uneven landscape of the NBA's first round. Indiana has nowhere near enough talent to compete with the Bulls and I would be very surprised if they can even pull off a single win. The Bulls are a young team, and are getting their first taste of life in the Association's upper-echelon, but they are a team with the pieces to win now. Derrick Rose is the odds on favorite as the league MVP this year and has the goods to take this team on a deep run. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah provide the powerful inside presence that is a must-have to do any real damage. Bulls in 4


    Many people (myself included) have a real hate on for the Miami Heat. For much of the year they had trouble jelling and sat around the middle of the playoff pack, making it hard to believe that they would be able to win right away like a lot of people predicted after the farce that was "The Decision". The Philadelphia 76ers will have a tough time making this series competitive, but their starless team-oriented approach could surprise a few people. Miami will play the way they have all year, coasting on talent for three quarters and turning it on late to frustratingly steal wins. Talent trumps substance. Heat in 5.


    Easily the highest profile match-up of the first round sees the suddenly mortal Boston Celtics taking on the inconsistent New York Knicks. The dumbfounding loss of Kendrick Perkins has left a gaping hole in the paint for the once powerful Celtics, and the team has spent the last month of the season trying to find an answer. Kristic and Green have not brought a lot to the table, and Boston is heavily relying on the so-old-he-can-barely-move-yet-somehow-still-manages-to-contribute Shaquille O'Neal. They are going to need The Big Shamrock as well as Jermaine O'Neal to lock down the inside game of Amar'e Stoudamire. The Knicks have enough talent to make this a series, especially if they're allowed to penetrate, but ultimately the Celtics are the better team. They may not seem to have the goods to go back to the final again, but one should never discount experience (plus Rondo is just better than Billups). Celtics in 6.


    The one series that may have the best chance of going to the wire is the 4-5 pairing of Orlando and Atlanta. Atlanta has been consistently improving year after year, with their young core growing into NBA adulthood together, whilst the Magic seem to be in a a bit of a decline. Orlando may have peaked two years ago when they lost in the finals, and one would have to think that sooner or later Atlanta is going to break out and go on a legitimate run. The biggest difference maker? Dwight Howard. He's the most dominant centre in the game and the Hawks are going to have a hard time handling him, especially if the Magic's outside shooters get hot. Orlando has been successful with the drive and kick in the past and it could be the dagger in this series. If Jason Collins and his sprained ankle can cause problems for D12 like he has all year then Atlanta may have a shot in this one, but I'm not willing to bet against Orlando just yet. Magic in 6.


    The Spurs are back on top of the western conference, and they've done it while dealing with intermittent injuries to some of their key players. That said, Memphis provides probably the second most lopsided opponent in these playoffs. Zach Randolph has had a beastly year, but it will not be enough to take out the mighty Spurs. The Grizzlies are out-matched at virtually every position on the floor, and should provide little resistance for San Antonio. Spurs in 5.


    The aforementioned "second most lopsided match up" is topped only by the Lakers versus the Hornets. This series is going to be a beat down. The only storyline providing any glimmer of hope for New Orleans is the fact that L.A. back-up point guard Steve Blake is fighting the chicken pox, while Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum (who is already out with another knee injury), and Kobe Bryant have never had chicken pox before. If it becomes a full blown epidemic for the purple and gold then the Hornets may be looking at a decent chance. Not likely though. Lakers in 4.


    The Dallas Mavericks seem to follow a similar script year after year: have a great season, usually with 50+ wins, only to fizzle out in the post season. There is not a whole lot to indicate that this year will be any different, no matter how easy a time they should have with the Portland Trailblazers. The Blazers have finally started to see the fruits of their draft day labour start to pay off, and they're growing into a legit team in the west, but there is now way they've got what it takes to get past Disco Dirk and the Mavs. The ageless Jason Kidd continues to be one of the best point guards in the league, further fueling my theory that he is in fact a super-villain with a high-profile alter-ego. This one will be short and sweet. Mavs in 6.


    As it is in the east, the western 4-5 match-up also promises to be the most competitive. The Thunder-Nuggets series (which is just so much funny to say out loud) should be a lot of fun. Kevin Durant has continued to play MVP-calibre ball, and after fleecing the Celtics to acquire Kendrick Perkins the Thunder are no longer missing that interior presence keeping them from elite status. Denver on the other hand has had an incredible run since trading away Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, proving that addition by subtraction can sometimes be a valid formula for success. The Nuggets play an aggressive style, and their record is a testament to the motivational coaching abilities of George Karl. This one is going to be a lot of fun to watch, especially if Denver can steal a game in Oklahoma City early on. I still think the Thunder are going to make a lot of noise this year. Pun intended. Thunder in 6.


   In the Finals I'm going with the Lakers and Celtics, for the simple fact that the NBA is the most crooked, most fixed league in North America and another epic Boston - L.A. final would be very good for business. Lakers will take it in 7 games. You heard it here...well, not first, but you heard it here.

*Melo-Drama: Legacy of the Superfriends

Watching the New Jersey Nets' futile attempts to land Carmelo Anthony has been like watching seniors have sex: it's awkward, depressing, and you just know it's going to end with both parties getting hurt. After weeks of public speculation, posturing, name mentioning, and ego stroking, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov finally took the classic Russian strategy and pulled out after the damage had already been unquestionably done. The level of star-player ass-kissing in the NBA is now reaching ridiculous levels and we have the Miami Axis of Evil to thank for it.


When Lebron James and his annoying, tag-along kid brother, Chris Bosh left their respective teams for the greener pastures and lush media market of Miami, they set a new precedent for the way players are expected to carry themselves in their pursuits for title rings. The trick to this new-age practice of me-first sportsmanship is making it about the rings. You want to leave the team and city that made you a multi-millionaire, and an international celebrity because you think this other team can give you a better chance at a title. Magic won 5 titles with the same team. Micheal won 6. These are the heroes that history will remember as true champions and ambassadors of the sport. Role models. If Miami goes off for a half dozen titles the public will give them as much credit as a kid playing franchise mode on Xbox set to easy so he can stack his team and go 82-0. The line has been drawn. If you want to compete just text your buddies and coordinate a mass exodus to a team on the rise.


The NBA is traditionally a league that is driven by the star power of their premier players, but gone are the days of GM's and owners being able to keep these brats in check to any plausible degree. Spoiled-rotten players are now only one Tweet away from essentially holding their franchises ransom, with a list of demands complete with pizza for the hostages and a helicopter on the roof to whisk them away to a city of their choosing. Why embrace qualities such as perseverance, loyalty, and class when one can simply disregard these relics for the far trendier traits like self-gratification, elitism, and the raising of one's profile?


Carmelo Anthony (and more specifically his wife) saw the circus that became the Miami Heat this past summer. With his contract about to expire why not bolt for the hometown Knicks? Who's to stop him? The Nuggets now find themselves in a position where they have to move a player against their will. A player they have spent the past eight years building their franchise around. They're also in a position where the entire league knows just how desperate they are to get something, anything, to show for their massive investment.


Sports is after all a business, and investments need to produce returns or you FAIL. This is a notion lost on this generation of athlete; They are the source of revenue for these businesses. These teams pour millions into marketing, merchandising, and payroll to make star players star players. Somewhere along the line said athletes grow a misplaced sense of entitlement and seem to forget that it is a two way street, this business of sports. The pampering is taken for granted and they begin to believe that they are in fact the larger-than-life deities their Nike ads portray them as.


The Nets pulled out all the stops to bring Carmelo to the Jersey shore, but in the end it simply wasn't good enough. Melo is going to be Knick sooner or later, regardless if the team that gave him a career gets a return, or the team that wanted him gets their image dragged through the mud, and both get a roster full of disgruntled team mates. Why should that concern Carmelo? Carmelo isn't playing in either of those cities next year so why should he care? Where is the accountability? The same will go for Chris Paul. The same will go for Deron Williams. The same will go for whatever big-name free agents are available year-in and year-out from this season forward. Parity be damned, the NBA is now a league of cool kids and science geeks. Get used to it. Thanks a lot Lebron...

*The Great Canadian Hockey Monopoly

I love hockey. I revel in the Canadiana it represents. I love the in-depth coverage, I love the rabidness of the reportage we have here north of the border, and I love the extra lengths our sportscasters go to give it to us. I also hate it. I am a beard sporting, lumberjack jacket wearing, beer swilling Canadian stereotype, but I'm also a sports fan. I love football, baseball, basketball, MMA, and even footy (I love footy so much I actually call it footy), and for people like me there are not alot of options on the big three Canadian sports networks.


On a given night in the Canadian sports broadcasting landscape an average of 50% of the coverage we see involves NHL hockey. This leaves the other 50% to cover every other event under the sun, and most of these stories get grossly under reported. The popular argument for any network executive working at either TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, or The Score would be that they are simply giving the public what they want. This begs the question: at what point do they stop giving us what we want and start telling us what we want?


Example: The other night Dwight Howard put up 26 points and 23 rebounds against the Mavericks, one of the top 3 teams in the entire NBA. It was Howard's third straight game of 20+ rebounds. This amazing stat was not mentioned once in Sportsnet's recap of the game, they instead chose to take a "Hedo Turkoglu" narrative in their coverage. For the record Turkoglu put up an underwhelming 9 points in the loss to the Mavs, but because he is a half season removed from a messy breakup with the Toronto Raptors, the brilliant minds at Sportsnet chose to tell us what aspects of the game we were interested in. And here I thought objectivity was the golden rule in Sports broadcasting. (I won't even get into the droning, emotionless personalities that Sportsnet chooses to prop up in front of their telepromters day in and day out. That's another gripe for another day.)


TSN on the other hand is Canada's oldest, and most respected Sports network. They are also one of the most biased. Every day Sportscentre leads off with ten to fifteen minutes of NHL coverage, complete with post-game scrums from each game, and on-site reporters for each of Canada's franchises. TSN boasts an armada of hockey insiders and analysts, but have nobody who specializes in baseball. No NFL insider. No NBA segment. They outsource this coverage to their ESPN cohorts. Not a bad idea when you have no one on staff who knows anything about these sports, but if your slogan is "Canada's Sports Leader" shouldn't you have at least one person designated to cover each of these? At least The Score and Sportsnet each have some random British guy who talks about the EPL so we can at we can trust in his sophisticated accent, even if he is only covering one of the many top-end soccer leagues in the world. The last time I checked Canada's national sport was Lacrosse. I don't remember the last NLL game I saw covered on any of the big three networks, including "Canada's Sports Leader". 

They don't even cover "Hockey" per se, they cover the NHL, because the NHL are the ones who have the lucrative broacasting contract with TSN and Sportsnet. I don't see any OHL highlights on a daily basis, no WHL or QMJHL (although I do get extensive coverage of the World Junior Championship, because it is conveniently broadcast on TSN). There is no mention of the European elite leagues in Germany, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republc, or Switzerland etc. The Kontinental Hockey League is the next biggest hockey league in the world and I can honestly say I have never once seen a single KHL highlight on Canadian television. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the KHL doesn't seem to get along with the NHL? Wouldn't wanna burn that Bettman bridge I guess. Hell, they don't even cover NCAA hockey.


I know nothing about NCAA sports and I place the blame squarely on the major sports networks in my home country for indoctrinating this love of hockey that lives inside me, and the indifference to everything else that comes with it. I didn't know who Cam Newton was until he won the Heisman. I read it in a footnote of a newspaper. That's what the NCAA is in Canadian media: a footnote.  

The Score does a fantastic job of trying to bring the NCAA to the forefront of the Canadian media, but they have neither the resources nor the clout to make a big enough impact on the national sporting psyche. They are also responsible for being one of the first to offer comprehensive coverage of Mixed Martial Arts, and of European soccer, in particular Italian Serie A. They offer coverage of CIS football, something neither of the two heavyweight stations can say. Grassroots stimulation of the homegrown product. They even have the basics down: their ticker doesn't go anywhere during commercials. Little things like that actually do matter.


Despite all of these things, I've still got a deep passion for the sport of Hockey. I love it with all my being, and I embrace the Canadian stereotype that it makes me. What I would appreciate though is having the option to watch something else from time to time, and having that something get the same attention as Hockey. There is alot more to the sporting landscape than just puck, and maybe if we gave our kids the option to fall in love with something different, our other national teams might not suck so badly, so consistently, while our hockey team perennially spanks the planet. Just a thought.