Ray Allen sets record as Boston win

Last night, Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 103-94, to tie the series 1-1. Rajon Rondo recorded another triple double, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, but it was Ray Allen who kept them in the game in the first half. Allen set a Finals record for most made final three-pointers, hitting 8 3's of his 11 attempts for 32 points. Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis were great off the bench, filling in for Kevin Garnett who struggled.

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest struggled as well. Artest had a terrible game, shooting 1 of 10, but he played good defense on Paul Pierce. Bryant couldn't make shots consistently which hurt his team, but it was still a close game because of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol finished with 25 points, while Bynum added 21.

Game 3 will be played in Boston, I believe they could easily win if Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett step it up. They've struggled a lot at the wrong time, but they're experienced so they know their team needs them. The Big 3 have been very inconsistent this Season, but they can't afford to have bad games anymore, especially because their bench is weak.

This game might decide the series because the winner goes into Game 4 with the lead so tune in. And to end this blog, here are the highlights of Game 2:

Don't forget about these teams

Hey everyone, today I'll be discussing the present and future of many teams that I barely ever talked about in my previous blogs.

First of all, there's the Houston Rockets. They missed this year's Playoffs but they were still very close to make it despite missing Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, who was traded during the Season. With the addition of Kevin Martin, and Yao returning next season, I think they will be back in the Playoffs. Not to mention they'll be trying to add Chris Bosh to their Roster this Off-Season which would definitely make them a top contender. If they make the right moves and trades, Rockets could be one of the best teams next season.

Next up is the Indiana Pacers. It wasn't long ago when they were a contender, but they seem to be going no where the last few seasons. They have Danny Granger, a great scorer, along with some other young pieces. I believe the only way for them to compete for a Playoffs spot is by re-building through the draft, which seems like their current plan.

And finally, there's the Memphis Grizzlies. Their starting line up is very solid, they have Marc Gasol at Center, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay at Fowards, O.J Mayo and Mike Conley at Guards. Their bench is also good with Hasheem Thabeet, Ronnie Brewer, and many others. But I think they should add some other pieces to it in the NBA Draft where they have 3 first round picks (12, 25, 28). However, their main focus right now is to re-sign Rudy Gay who will be a Free Agent this summer. And since he's a restricted free-agent, Memphis will probably match any offer he receives from any other team. I think they have a bright future, and they could make the Playoffs next year.

Now here's a mix of my favorite player from the Grizzlies, I hope you enjoy it:

Lakers vs Celtics preview

We're around 24 hours away from the 2010 NBA Finals which is why I decided to do a preview blog, and whether you're rooting for the Lakers or Celtics, I hope this time the series will be entertaining, because personally I have barely enjoyed the Finals the past few years.

Not a lot of people were expecting Boston to have any kind of impact in the Playoffs at the end of the Regular Season where they struggled, but they have picked it up in the post-season eliminating the top two teams with the best records this Season. Meanwhile, the Lakers were struggling as well due to injuries, but since the beginning of the Playoffs, they've been ready to defend their title.

Game 1 will take place in L.A at 9 PM ET, this is a must win for both teams because if Boston win this one, I believe it will give them a big advantage, since they play Game 3 and 4 at home. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers will have Derrick Fisher cover Rajon Rondo or someone else, because Rondo has been arguably the best player during the Playoffs, meanwhile Fisher struggles to keep up with younger guards.

Another important match-up is Pau Gasol vs Kevin Garnett, people have been saying that Garnett could struggle to defend Gasol inside the paint due to his size, and I might have to agree with that. I think the best strategy for the Celtics would be to get him in foul trouble early on, to weaken the Lakers' presence inside.

Enjoy this NBA Finals promo I came across featuring Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, and Ray Allen:

Boston move past Magic to the Finals

Last year during the Playoffs, the Celtics were missing Kevin Garnett and still took Orlando Magic to 7 Games in the Eastern Conference Finals, but they were eliminated. This year, the Magic couldn't stop Celtics, who beat them in 6 Games.

The Big 3, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, along with Rondo, played great throughout the series, and so did Orlando's Dwight Howard, however Rashard Lewis had a terrible series, averaging 3 points while shooting 27 % from the field in the first 3 games. Meanwhile, the Magic's newest addition, Vince Carter, who was supposed to lead them to the next level, forgot to show up which is nothing unusual as he tends to disappear when it matters.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 31 points, meanwhile Dwight Howard finished with 28. Nate Robinson energized the Celtics off the bench in the second quarter making the lead bigger, and Orlando's hopes slimmer. Boston never let them back in the game, putting an end to the series.

Boston have now advanced to the Finals, their second appearance in the past 3 years, as they face the defending Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic will probably have a busy off-season as they continue trying to get it together to make a run at the NBA title again next season.

Here are some highlights of Game 6 between Boston and Orlando, enjoy:

Lakers eliminate Suns, advance to the Finals

This past Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers qualified to the NBA Finals for the third time in a row after defeating the Phoenix Suns in 6 Games. The Suns were looking to keep their hopes alive in Game 6, but the Lakers stopped them behind Kobe Bryant's 37 points to win 111-103. Ron Artest hit 4 of his 7 three point shots, finishing with 25 points. Derrick Fisher contributed a lot as well, hitting several big shots in the Second half. Meanwhile the Suns' Steve Nash finished with 21 points and 9 assists, but it wasn't enough to take the series to Game 7.

I think this was an entertaining series filled with a lot of action, and my personal favorite game was the 5th. After being down by more than 10 points in the fourth quarter, Steve Nash brought his team back into the game with some help from the bench. Phoenix tied the game with only 3.5 seconds left as Jason Richardson hit a 3. The game was going to Overtime until Ron Artest tipped in Kobe Bryant's missed shot at the buzzer to defeat the Suns. That game gave the Lakers a 3-2 lead and a lot of advantage going into the next game.

The celebration hasn't started yet because the Lakers will now be playing Boston Celtics in the Finals, which means the 2009 Champions taking on the 2008 Champions. There's a strong rivalry between these two franchises, they've won the most titles and made the most appearances in the Finals. And not to mention, two years ago Celtics won a title defeating none other than the Lakers, so Kobe Bryant and his teammates will be seeking revenge. Look out for a more detailed preview of the Finals in my next blog, but for now enjoy these videos:

Highlights of Game 6


Ron Artest's Game-winner in Game 5

Wizards win the Lottery, Arenas on the trading block?

The Washington Wizards won the NBA Draft Lottery this past week, and it seems like they will be taking John Wall with the Number 1 pick. They only had 10.3 % chance at winning it, 5th in the league, compared to the New Jersey Nets who were at 25 %. The Sixers took the Second pick, meanwhile the Nets ended up with the third pick. You can check out the rest of the NBA Draft order here:
http://www.nba.com/news/features/2010.draft.order/index.html


The Wizards had a very tough season, their owner, Abe Pollin, died earlier this year. They also traded Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood after the team failed to meet expectations. And most importantly, their superstar player, Gilbert Arenas, was suspended by the NBA in January for the rest of the season, due to gun possession in the locker room. Winning the Lottery is a step forward for the franchise as I believe John Wall would be a good fit next to Andray Blatche.

However, rumors are floating around that Wizards are looking to trade Arenas, which could be difficult because of the recent incident, and his big contract. There's still many teams that would probably be interested in acquiring Arenas as he's a very good player, and I think it's time for him and the Wizards to move on. The Knicks, Mavericks, Pacers, Magic, Raptors, Hawks and many other teams could make a move to add Arenas to their roster. I think it's a risky move, but still worth it. Arenas might be able to contribute a lot to his team in the right situation, while Wizards continue their rebuilding process.

In the end, I'd like to add that I have high expectations for this off-season. It might be the best ever, I'm hoping for a lot of changes and trades, more competition, and new contenders as I'm personally bored of the same teams in the title picture such as the Lakers.

NBA Draft Lottery tomorrow

The 2010 NBA Draft Lottery airs tomorrow at 7:30 on the Score, it's a very important event that could play a major part in the future of the NBA, especially since this year's draft class is strong.

John Wall is the clear favorite to be the Number 1 pick, so expect any team to win first pick to pick him. New Jersey Nets lead the way at 25 % chance of winning the lottery, after finishing the season with a 12-70 record.

Here are the chances for each team to win the Number 1 pick in order, with Nets being the highest, and Houston Rockets the lowest with only 0.5 %, also their Regular Season record is shown here:



This is one of the best classes in recent history, so every team will be getting a good prospect no matter what. Unlike the previous drafts, it has a lot of variety, from Guards to Forwards to Centers, and there's many potential All-Star players and Role Players this year.

This Summer should determine the future due to a lot of great available Free-Agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudamire, and of course the draft class, which will also have major trades. For example, if Nets draft John Wall they will most likely be trading Devin Harris, their starting Point Guard, on the draft night.

Visit this site to customize your own Draft Class, and a possible outcome out of 2183 others:
http://espn.go.com/nba/lottery2010/mockdraft

Here's what I got, click on the picture to go larger: