Day 9: NBA finals pick and the Lebron vs Kobe debate (Lebron wins)

So we now know who will be facing off in the NBA finals and I have to say I am pretty surprised by the final teams. I am not surprised Dallas is in the way Dirk and the Mavs have been playing, but I will say if you asked me who was going to be in the finals out of the West a couple of months ago, I am not sure I would have picked Dallas. I knew it wasn't going to be LA the way the were lumbering into the postseason and the Spurs didn't seem to be playing all that well either. My pick was actually OKC not knowing Dirk was going to go buck nutty in the playoffs. I was actually pulling for OKC because Durant is such a class act. What a great young, talented athlete with an awesome head on his shoulders. His teammate, Westbrook, not so much but, then again, he is so young he has time to grow and, hopefully, mature. But I was also pulling for Dirk too because his career reminds me of Ewing. Not at all in the way they play, they have two totally different playing styles. But in the amount of grittiness and toughness both of them had and there ability to get their teams to the postseason every year but not quite make it over that hump to win the championship. Dirk finally has some stars around him to help him get the ring, something Ewing never had. And Durant, as talented as he is, will definitely have his opportunities to win a championship in the future, I am sure of it. So the time is now for Dirk which brings me to the topic of Lebron and the Miami Heat.

Ok, I will admit I was rooting against the Heat, not because I am a Lebron hater like everyone else seems to be, but because I have a feeling, and we are seeing it right now, that as an Eastern conference team the Heat are going to be a bane in the Knicks side (and every team's side) for the foreseeable future and as a Knicks fan, I wanted to see them fail. Lol. It's the same reason I was rooting FOR Miami against Boston after Boston swept the Knicks. At least with the Heat, I understand why they are so dominant. They have crazy defense and two and a quarter superstars in Lebron, Wade and Bosh. I get it. With Boston, it drives me crazy when people laud them. They are an old ass team that right now is completely overrated. They get lauded for their defense and their D is HORRENDOUS. Correct me if I am wrong but fouling every play and not getting called for it is not good D. The Bulls have better D than Boston. Boston is just a bunch of old hacks and its no coincidence that both Chauncey and Amare got hurt playing them. I hate seeing teams move on in the postseason that don't deserve to move on. Dallas, I get it. Miami, I get it. Boston, so glad they were shown to be the chump team they really are. The only thing Boston has going for them is that they have an AMAZING coach and Ray Allen. Other than that, I'll take my bets against them next year against any team in the East including the Knicks. That's right, I said it. Suck on that, Boston fans. And by the way, if you are a Boston fan, you should not be following my blog. I will rip into all of your teams. Same applies to Philadelphia fans. Fuck Boston, fuck Philadelphia and any other wannabe NY city. You're not NY. Get over it.

Wow, my hate for Boston and Philly got me off track there for a second. Back to Miami. The reason I root against Miami is the same reason people root against my Yankees. Its the same reason people have been rooting against the Lakers. People root against the teams that are good and threaten their team. I hate the Red Sox because they had beaten the Yankees the last few years. But before they actually beat the Yankees in the postseason, I couldn't have given two shits about them. They didn't threaten the Yankees so why should I care. It's the same reason I hate the Eagles. The Eagles seem to have the Giants number. I don't hate the Skins because the Skins never beat us. Chris Rock said it best when he came up to my college, University of Buffalo, to perform and said "People hate the Yankees because the Yankees are good. People hate the Lakers for the same reason. No one hates the Clippers. That would be ridiculous if someone was like 'Man, fuck the Clippers!!!' Sounds crazy as hell. No one hate the Clippers, no one hate the Lions, no one hates the Buffalo Bills!" Hahaha. The greatest part about that joke is that he said that to a Buffalo crowd. So awesome.

I will say this about Lebron. He DESERVES a ring and in my mind, he's the best all-around player in the NBA. He IS better than Kobe. Now, I am know some of you are going to jump down my throat about that statement but to me, if you are talking about all around player, you have to go with Lebron. Kobe may be a better SHOOTER, but that's all Kobe's got. Kobe can't defend like Lebron can, he can't block shots like Lebron can, he can't pass the ball like Lebron can, he can't rebound like Lebron, Kobe can't make his team better like Lebron can. Kobe NEEDED Shaq to win championships and after Shaq, he NEEDED Gasol, Artest, Odom and Bynum. There is no way Kobe's game could have single-handedly brought the Lakers anywhere close to the finals. Lebron, on the other hand, made a bunch of scrubs like Mo Williams and Ilgauskus look like all-stars. Only when he left, you realized how below par these players really are. Now, I know some of you idiots will bring up the whole championship thing "Does Lebron have more rings than Kobe?" and to me that is the dumbest argument ever. Yes, Kobe has rings and Lebron doesn't but if you are going to use that argument than Robert Horry is a better player than Lebron, Ewing and Barkley. Get the hell outta here with that weak argument. It doesn't apply to this discussion.

NBA Finals Pick (who I want to win) - Dallas in 7
NBA Finals Pick (who I think is going to win) - Miami in 6

Day 8: Final note on Knicks, Yankees rollin' along and NFL Draft analysis

Let's get the hard one out of the way first. The New York Knicks. I will admit when the Knicks clinched a playoff berth this year, my mind went wild with the ideas of all they could do. I really believed anything was possible and I still believe that would have been the case if Chauncy and Amare weren't injured by the Boston Hacks. But in all the excitement of the games, I forgot one thing. That the Knicks accomplished exactly what they set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year. And no that wasn't to get swept in the playoffs. It was to make the playoffs. Realize people, the Knicks had just gone through some of worst records of their history the last few years. I watched every game the year the Knicks won 23 games under Isiah. Which means I watched 59 losses. As a real Knicks fan that stood by them through all their horrific last few years, what they did this year for me and for NYK fans cannot and should not be underestimated. They made the city alive again for basketball and they made good on their promise. One which, at the beginning of this year, seemed impossible. Its all about baby steps, people. One step at a time.

The Spankees!!! Love the way they have come out this year. I am worried about Soriano, though. I hope he is not one of those players in a long line of players that come here and can't handle the pressure and bomb, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano to name a few. His stuff seems to still be there though (his fastball is clocking in at 97mph) so maybe its just a matter of time before he gets his act together. The starting pitching has been absolutely killing it. I can't ask for anything better so far. At the beginning of the year, that was my biggest question mark (except for Sabathia) and everyone, including Nova, Colon and Garcia have all stepped up. Keep it up, Bronx Bombers! So far, it's a great season to watch.

On to the NFL. I think the Giants did an amazing job with their draft picks this year. Yes, they waited until the fourth round to pick a LB which was probably their #1 need but seriously, how could you pass up on CB Prince Amukumara when you have the opportunity to get him? If you don't know what he's capable of. Watch the Sports Science video below. And I am not talking about all the crazy facts and figures that don't mean anything. I mean, specifically, watch the part of the video where he runs, dives laterally, changes his hand mid-flight and brings the ball down. Shit's crazy.

He's also versatile enough to play Safety if the Giants need him. Overall, great amazing pick and so happy he dropped down far enough for the G-Men to get him. Next pick, defensive lineman, Marvin Austin. Another awesome pick by the G-Men. He is a big guy who has great footwork and the quickness to make tackles on the outside as well as the ability to make plays in the backfield. Some questions remain about the fact that he didn't play last year and his overall work ethic, but if the Giants can pound the bs out of him, this kid could end up, alongside a healthy Osi, Tuck, and Kiwanuka, being just the piece the G-Men need to make their D unstoppable. I was actually surprised by the Giants next pick in Round 3, WR Jerrel Jernigan. That is one position I felt the Giants didn't really need any help with and with him, being as small as he is, not really being a go-to WR who can make an impact. That's when I realized he was primarily brought in to be a kick returner. When the Giants lost Hixon last year, I didn't realize fully how bad the season was going to turn out for special teams. Man, those runbacks and miscues were very hard to watch. Jerrel is just the answer we need in case Hixon doesn't come back to form or, god forbid, he gets injured again. Last year showed we definitely need a plan B.

Final Draft Grade for Giants: A-

Now, if we can only ensure there will be football next year. If the season doesn't start, I am going to go punch Goodell in the throat.