Comedian Kevin Hart and Shaquille O’Neal are tight. It goes back to O’Neal’s days with the Lakers. Hart recently passed through Cleveland on tour and after his show he spent a few minutes with the Cavaliers. In the first video he clowns around LeBron James and as many people would fit into the hallway. In the second vid it’s Hart cracking on Shaq’s fur coat

Kevin Hart clowning Shaquille O’Neal:

In a game that featured a near fight and Gilbert Arenas draining deep 3s, LeBron James stole the show. Not only was the throw down crazy, the team and arena needed it. Washington had grabbed control of the game to that point, and LeBron took it from them with one dunk. Even DeShawn Stevenson would have to give the King his due for this jam.

A little longer with different angles and worse quality.

Tags: LeBron James>, Alley Oop, video, youtube, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards

Now that one of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history is finished it’s time for the 2007-08 playoffs to take us to the next level. Other than Celtics/Hawks, the match-ups should give us entertaining basketball. All of the series won’t go seven games, but the level of competition will be at an all-time high.

I’m only gonna post my first round predictions right now, but my entire NBA Playoffs bracket will be over at Ball Hype. They’re having an NBA Playoffs Pick ‘Em Contest that’s free to enter, and the top prize is an iPod touch. I have the Eastern Conference sticking to the script for the most part, but deciding the Western Conference was painful..

Here are my first round picks:

Eastern Conference:

(1)Boston 4 (8)Atlanta 0: The Hawks can hang their hat on the fact that they made the playoffs. After getting swept out, they should fire Mike Woodson and start getting ready for next season. The Cs will wanna handle their biz and rest for..

(4)Cleveland 4 (5)Washington 3: The best series in the EC’s first round and you know how it goes.. Same two teams, same result. Gilbert trash talking King James isn’t helping the Wizards’ chances. I was probably leaning towards Washington until Gilbert went off.. But if anybody was gonna back it up, it’s Agent Zero.
(2)Detroit 4 (7)Philadelphia 1: I’m a diehard Sixers fan and I’m pulling for the upset but I gotta be real. This squad is too young to do anything but steal a game from the Pistons.. I might pop bottles if they take two games.

Looking to the future, what’s the front office gonna do about beefing up the lineup? They need to add more firepower and size to build on the gains made this season. Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller, Samuel Dalembert, and Thaddeus Young make a good nucleus. Willie Green, Louis Williams, and Reggie Evans should contribute to a nice bench. Even though the Eastern Conference is regarded as weak, things are getting a lot tougher and the Sixers need to plan accordingly.

LeBron’s always in contention, the Bulls will eventually figure it out, the Celtics and Pistons have cores they can count on for a few more years, Washington’s group looks like they’ll be staying together, Miami has D-Wade and Marion as a foundation, Dwight Howard is a force to be reckoned with, the Raptors have better young talent, Indiana should be better next year, and the Hawks look like they’re headed in the right direction. Unless the franchise is content with squeaking in the playoffs and making a first round exit, they need to get aggressive in the offseason.. Elton Brand aggressive.

(3)Orlando 4 (6)Toronto 2: Who is this? Oh yeah, the Orlando Magic.. They haven’t been talked about since Dwight Howard did the Superman dunk, but they quietly won 52 games. Howard, Hedo Turkoglu (should be the Most Improved Player), and Rashard Lewis give the Magic one of the best frontcourts in basketball. They should cruise past the Raptors.

Western Conference:

(1)Los Angeles 4 (8)Denver 3 : Can the Nuggets do what the Warriors did last year and eliminate the number one seed? It would be called an upset, but shouldn’t we expect a team that has two number one overall picks, a second overall pick, and a third (shoulda been second) overall pick in the starting lineup to go deep into the playoffs? I see some 130-121 games and Denver’s inability to get key stops hurting them more than the Lakers inability to get key stops.

(4)Utah 4 (5)Houston 3: Man… If there’s ever a pick I wanted to be wrong about. I think the Jazz are the better team, but for T-Mac’s sanity I wouldn’t mind if the Rockets won the series. Last year, I tried to use The Secret to help Houston and it obviously didn’t work. This year, the Rockets should get Benedict XVI to swing through H-Town and hit ‘em with some Pope Juice.

(6)Phoenix 4 (3)San Antonio 3: Either Shaq or Tim Duncan have appeared in every NBA finals since the Bulls sixth championship in 1998, and 10 of the last 14. They’ve both picked up four rings along the way, but with all of that said, Amare Stoudemire will dominate this series. He’s always a beast against the Spurs in the playoffs and with Shaq giving him more freedom on offense I see Phoenix riding Stat to the second round.

(7)Dallas 4 (2)New Orleans 2: The Mavericks get a chance to play the underdog upset role this postseason. It’s not gonna erase what happened last year, and with the competitiveness of the Western Conference this year, it shouldn’t be surprise if the team with the reigning MVP and Jason Kidd beats a team with no playoff experience.

Follow The NBA Playoffs On The Sphere:
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Tags: NBA, Playoffs, Watch Free Online, Sports

Another sad chapter is written in the book of Cleveland Sports Disappointments. It’s pretty amazing that one city can have the catch, the drive, the fumble, and the shot on it’s resume. If there’s any positive to be taken from this, it’s that this year’s Cleveland Browns team won’t be in position to let the fans down.

Tags: LeBron James, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland, Boston Red Sox, Baseball

The Spurs rolled to their 4th championship in 9 years a little easier than I thought they would. I thought Cleveland had the chance to win at least one game in the series, I predicted two, but San Antonio was too much. The Spurs are a well oiled playoff machine. Even when they don’t win the title they’re in the mix. The Cavaliers are a franchise with a Superstar and a subpar supporting cast. They could be title contenders for years to come but they’re gonna have to shake up the roster.

The Spurs deserve their congratulations.. Tony Parker earned the Finals MVP award. Parker’s penetration, steady jumper, and clutch shots made him the hands down winner. Robert Horry picked up his 7th ring. That’s nuts. Guys are happy to play 7 seasons, Horry has 7 RINGS. Barkley, Stockton, Malone, KG, and Elgin Baylor 0 rings between ‘em. Robert Horry 7. Wow.

Props to the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA Champions.

Spurs/Cavs Game 4 recap. Courtesy of ESPN.com

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjpvXynyVHU]

Remember when these “Trophy Love” commercials were all the rage? The thing that always bothered me is that the name of the NBA trophy is the “Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy”… It seemed weird to me that all of those cats were in love with someone named Larry. Anyways…

The San Antonio Spurs are on the verge of capturing their 4th LOCT, and LeBron James is about to have a long summer. In a game that was viewed by many as Cleveland’s best chance to take one from San Antonio, both teams put the scoring on hold and locked down on coughcough defense. Tim Duncan played only 33 minutes and Cleveland still couldn’t capitalize meaning my predicition of Spurs in 6 is gonna need a miracle in order to see the light of day.

Here’s a few other things I was wrong about:

1. “Tim Duncan is the Finals MVP”. I’m not completely wrong on this but Parker is probably the leader for the award right now. If the Spurs wrap up the series in game 4 and TD has a big game, Duncan could still be the MVP.
2. “Cleveland wins their first game at home”. It was all there for the Cavs to take but they couldn’t hit an open shot to save their lives… Or their series. Tim Duncan had the foul trouble that I thought he would, but Cleveland’s scoring trouble was the bigger factor.
3. “We are all entertained”. The ratings suggest that very few of us are entertained but let’s not rush to make this an NBA issue. People just aren’t watching sports the same anymore. You can look at the World Series declining ratings here or flashback to 2006 when game 1 of the World Series flopped. Everyday can’t be Superbowl Sunday.

As for LeBron handing off to Anderson down the stretch of game 3, I honestly believe he expected to get the ball back. Unfortunately for LBJ, Floppy Jao took matters in to his own hands and frankly, he’s gotta make that basket… And LeBron was fouled by Bruce Bowen at the end of the game. There’s no question about it. The continuation call could have gone either way but James should have gone to the line for at least two free throws.

The biggest thing I’m taking away from this series is that if Cleveland’s front office can get LeBron a Scottie Pippen, the Cavs will rule the East for years. All of the players on the Cavalier roster are role players. There’s no Scottie Pippen, there’s no Dennis Rodman. There’s nobody else on the roster that the other team has to truly worry about. Michael Jordan was surrounded by the right mix of players to highlight his talents. Danny Ferry and company need to do the same for LeBron.

Cavaliers And Spurs Final(ly)

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Tonight’s the night that it goes down. Two legacies are in the making. LeBron will become the legitimate face of the league or the Spurs will reach official dynasty status. Gone are the Kobe Bryant trade demands (maybe), no more “the Suns got screwed” (hopefully), and hasta la vista to Flip Saunders (wishfully). It’s time for the NBA Finals.

The Cleveland Cavaliers: I didn’t give them a shot against the Pistons until about 12 points in to LBJ’s final 25 points of game 5. Even when I saw the Cavs outplaying the Pistons earlier in the series, something wouldn’t let me change my mind about Detroit advancing to the Finals. That something is stupidity. Sometimes you have to face the facts and in this case the fact was: Cleveland was the better team. I didn’t believe that going in to the series.. I mean, who couldn’t beat a wounded Wizards team and then Jason Kidd and the Heartless? It was hard for me to fathom that the Cavaliers poor shooting, insufficient role players, and questionable coaching would be able to take down the battle tested, finals focused Detroit Pistons. I was wrong.

The San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs were my true pick to make it to the NBA Finals, but I tried this little experiment at the beginning of the playoffs so I had to ride with the Rockets. You can take a look at my brackets over at BallHype (who has some nice t-shirts btw) and see that I had the Spurs over the Suns. The Spurs have been the best team in the league since the All-Star break, but everybody was caught up in Phoenix and Dallas. It didn’t matter to me that Amare and Diaw got suspended during the Spurs/Suns series.. What I mean by that is the Spurs were gonna beat Phoenix if it went 6 or 7. They were better. The San Antonio/Utah series was a sparring match. SA wanted to get some good work in and then take a rest before matching up with the Eastern Conference… Have you noticed that I made it this far without mentioning Tim Duncan? That’s how it is for the Spurs.. Not a lot of hype, but great execution and the ability to match styles with any team. Wanna slow it down and play half court ball? San Antonio will run everything through TD and slowly dissect you. Wanna speed up the tempo? Parker and Ginobili will run wild on you while the 3 point bombers camp behind the line for a kick out. Pick your poison.

HOW WILL IT END?

If you don’t want to know how the NBA Finals end then stop reading now. For those of you brave enough to stick with me, here it is. The San Antonio Spurs win the championship. It goes 6 games, with San Antonio winning games 1,2,4, and 6. Cleveland wins their first game at home and their last game at home. Tim Duncan is the Finals MVP, but Parker and Ginobili have their moments. Robert Horry hits a big shot down the stretch in one of the games, but I don’t want to give away which one. Cleveland wins game 3 because Tim Duncan is saddled with foul trouble, and they win game 5 because LeBron goes nuts. The Spurs celebrate and the Cavaliers learn a valuable lesson and we are all entertained.

For a really good listen check out The Finals Preview Podcast. Courtesy of The Basketball Jones

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2V0T_r0zKQ&mode=related&search=]

Lebron James answered nearly 4 years worth of criticism in one legendary 16 minute span. What’s he ever done?, He can’t win big games, he misses free throws in the clutch, he doesn’t want the ball in crunch time, are just a few of the barbs thrown James’ way. While he did miss a pair of freebies down the stretch last night, the King scored Cleveland’s last 25 points, 29 of the final 30, and shot 18-33 from the field while his teammates shot 19-49. The King finished with 48pts, 9reb, and 7ast. He was walking Detroit defenders to the rim at will.. So much so that I would do the “no no no, holy shit good shot” thing everytime Lebron pulled up for a jumper.

Lebron’s outburst is what everybody has been waiting for. Now just Bron’s haters/fans, but basketball fans. In a playoffs that have featured Jason Kidd averaging a triple double, the Chicago Bulls growing up, the Heat growing old, Dallas choking, the Warriors exciting, Derek Fisher’s pain, the Suns whining, the Spurs getting dirty, and Kobe’s demanding, Lebron has taken center stage.

I’m still in a state of shock because A) I believe I’ve just witnessed one of the top ten all time playoff performances, and B) I didn’t dvr the game even as I knew what I was watching. I think all of the phone calls, IMs, text messages, and emails I was trading with various people about the events of 5-31-07-23 had me out of my right mind. It’s possible that I’ll have more to say about Lebron a little later, but for now I’m gonna watch the ‘nets go nuts with it and soak in the knowledge of Wise Lebron.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOhi89fyT2g&mode=related&search=]

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While the Eastern Conference has Detroit rolling Chicago and the who cares fest of New Jersey and Cleveland, the Western Conference is getting busy. The Suns/Spurs series is being billed as the NBA championship, and Golden State v. Utah got off to an electrifying start.

The Warriors began game 1 in Utah like they ended game 6 in Oakland… Ripping and running, shooting 3s, and getting their And1 on. The Jazz were able to weather the storm even though they trailed by 3, 66-63, at the half. The point guards in this series, Baron Davis and Deron Williams, are giving me flashbacks of Tim Hardaway and John Stockton. Carlos Boozer was a beast down low for Utah (17pts, 20rbds), and Stephen Jackson, well, he’s being Stephen Jackson(16pts, 4ast, 3stls, 12 scowls).

The tempo of the game was up to say the least. Even though both teams were dedicated to pushing the rock there was a little defense played. Kirilenko had 7 blocks and 0 cries while Andris Biedrins had 2 blocks and 3 steals. The most amazing part of the game was Al Harrington’s re-emergence as a member of the Warriors. Harrington carried the Warriors in the 1st quarter with 3 3pt shots, and I was surprised he didn’t get a little more time on the floor.

If the Western Conference can give us 12 more games like the first two of the semis, it’ll more than make up for the Leastern side. While I’m dissing the East, would any of you be surprised if the Pistons won it all? I wouldn’t.

If you missed the Jazz/Warriors game, and you didn’t get a chance to see the highlights, watch the video below for a recap. Utah’s the one in all black.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYxB4iQWOJ8&mode=related&search=]

The actual game was just like that. The two teams went toe to toe and traded blows right down to the end.

This next scrap didn’t work out so well for Jazz fans.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfqHZsz270Q]

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 **EDITOR’S NOTE** I started working on this post well before Midnight. I got a call from an out of town friend and missed my “daily” Rockets post. I hope this doesn’t have serious repercussions for the Houston Rockets. **END EDITOR’S NOTE**

Let me make one thing clear: I AM A PHILADELPHIA 76ERS FAN. I am only supporting the Houston Rockets in the playoffs because of this post. When the Rockets win the championship or are eliminated from the playoffs, I will revert back to my normal self. There’s no need to email me and call me a traitor or a phony. I ride with my teams do or die and nothing can change that. On to the playoffs….

The Houston Rockets lead the Utah Jazz 3-2: The Rockets don’t take the court again until Thursday night and I can’t wait. I’m feeling Houston closing this series on the road in Utah. I don’t know what would make me feel that way since the H-Town O has been MIA in SLC. I believe that Tracy McGrady is gonna do everything in his power to advance to the second round… as soon as possible. My perfect Thursday scenario: Gabrielle Union comes over to watch the game with me and brings a bottle of JWB (Johnny Walker Black). The Rockets beat Utah and Dallas beats the Warriors giving Houston a little rest before the next series. I know this scenario is highly unlikely… Dallas probably won’t win in Oakland. Positivity time: THE HOUSTON ROCKETS WIN THE SERIES IN 6 GAMES.

The Detroit Pistons over the Orlando Magic 4-0: I was wrong with my prediction for this series. Get used to hearing that. I picked Detroit in 5 for some unknown reason. Orlando was in a tailspin for the last half of the season and they finally crashed in the playoffs. Nothing much to say about this series. It was like watching a varsity-junior varsity scrimmage. The Pistons get the feisty Bulls in the next round. It’s like the 80s all over again. How long til Rasheed says “if Hinrich were black, he’d be just another player” or something to that affect?

The Chicago Bulls over the Miami Heat 4-0: I was wrong with my prediction for this series (I’m not done yet). Don’t laugh too much, I was only off by 3 games with my Miami in 7 pick. The adolescent Bulls dominated this series in the regular and post-season. I know Wade wasn’t 100% but it wasn’t gonna matter. Luol Deng and Ben Gordon provided the offensive punch, Ben Wallace supplied the “D”, and the team as a whole out fought the old and tired Miami Heat. The Bulls’ sweep of the Heat marks the 6th time a Shaquille O’Neal playoff team has been swept to elimination.

The Cleveland Cavaliers over the Washington Wizards 4-0: Guess what? That’s right, my prediction for this series was wrong too. I had Cleveland in 5 even with Arenas and Butler sidelined for the Wiz. I didn’t think the Cavaliers were mentally tough enough to close out any team in 4 games. I was wrong. Even though I watched this series I didn’t learn a whole helluva lot. The Cavs coasted through the series and should make it to the Eastern Conference finals having lost no more than 2 games. Cleveland’s sweep of Washington completed the Central division’s dominance over the Southeast division… A perfect 12-0 record.

The Phoenix Suns lead The Los Angeles Lakers 3-1: I’m right on pace in this series. I picked the Suns in 5 and I’m sticking to it. I knew Kobe would be good for one win and one win only. I’m sure the Lakers’ Mitch Kupchak is trying to figure out a way to trade Andrew Bynum for Jason Kidd before Wednesday’s game. I doubt that would help since the Suns have the most talented top six in the league. Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, Stoudamire, and Barbosa are the murderers row of hoops. You could combine a couple of teams and still not have that much talent on your roster. The Pistons have the second best six with Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Wallace, Webber, and McDyess. In comparing the two, which match-up would you say favors Detroit? Sheed over Boris is the only one I see. Another positive for Phoenix: No team that has gotten rid of Shaq has won a playoff series since his departure. Orlando 0-6 and the Lakers soon to be 0-2.

The San Antonio Spurs lead the Denver Nuggets 3-1: I picked San Antonio in 6 so I’m still alive which is more than I can say for Denver. The Nuggets game one victory got everybody pumped.. Unfortunately for the Nuggs everybody included the Spurs. SA doesn’t win pretty.. They don’t get the hype that some of the other teams get.. They’re like the sheep dog in the old school cartoons. They come to work, punch the clock, whoop your ass, and punch out. San Antonio has managed to win 3 games and stay on the good side of the referees.. Kinda.. Denver has been whistled for 71 fouls, San Antonio for 73, but I’ve seen Duncan fouled at least 10 times with no call. Timmy looked so distraught over the lack of calls in game 4 that I thought he might actually brush his hair.

The New Jersey Nets lead the Toronto Raptors 3-2: I’m looking good here. I got New Jerz in 6 even though they shoulda closed this series out in 5. Vince Carter is the male exotic dancer and his fiance to the Raptors fan’s Payton, Cassell, and Caffey. If you don’t follow, the Toronto fans have been abusing Vince. Jason Kidd has been doing his thing, and it’s good to see RJ back in action. I like the Raps team and the direction they’re headed in. GM Bryan Colangelo is as bright as they come. Look at the moves he made with the Phoenix Suns, Tim Thomas and Eddie House, as compared to the moves the Suns made this year, Marcus Banks and Jalen Rose. Bryan’s number one priority is to sign or replace coach Sam Mitchell. If and when the Nets advance I can’t see them getting past Cleveland. Of course, as you can see, I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

The Golden State Warriors lead the Dallas Mavericks 3-2: I picked Dallas in 6 games and at this point the Mavs would be lucky to see game 7. The most exciting series in the playoffs has also been a coming out party for Baron Davis and the Warriors fans. BD has averaged 26 points, 5 boards, 5 assist, and 2 steals while the Warriors fans have produced Jessica Alba. The rest of the fans have been outstanding but who cares, Jessica Alba is there…

The Mavericks started the series on a bad note when head coach Avery Johnson decided to start his small lineup to match-up with Golden State. Why is the 1 seed adjusting to the 8? I’m seriously asking you because I can’t figure it out. Nellie and crew need to be given a ton of credit for the defensive scheme they’ve used against Dallas. Putting a smaller, quicker player on Dirk, and then rushing him with double and triple teams from a variety of spots has worked well to this point. So well that people are calling for Dirk to return the MVP trophy that he hasn’t won yet. This really bothers me.

Dirk Nowitzki or Steve Nash are/were the only MVP candidates this year. The MVP is a regular season award. What do Dirk’s playoff successes and failures have to do with the regular season? Nothing. Does anybody hold the fact that Nash is only the second (Kareem 75-76 & 76-77) back to back MVP to not appear in the NBA finals in either year that he won the award? Nope. Nowitzki led his team to 67 wins and now everybody wants to run him out of the league because of a sub-par series against his former coach. What if Steve Nash was going up against a team coached by Mike D’Antoni? I’d have to guess that Mike and his staff would have a good idea of how to create problems for Steve.

I don’t care who wins the MVP trophy, but it seems to me that people are grinding some sort of personal axe against Dirk. People knock him for his style of play and at the same time celebrate Mehmet Okur or the rookie Bargnani for basically playing the same way. I don’t know if it’s because Nowitzki sings Hasslehoff at the free throw line or our country’s past problems with Germany, but this guy takes a lot of flack. If Dirk and the Mavs can find a way to win the series against G. State how many people will give the MVP trophy back to Dirk? I’ll bet zero.

This is why I’m rolling with the Rockets. Courtesy of yours truly

You can take a look at my brackets here. Courtesy of Ball Hype

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