Game 2 - Do or Die

Looking Up
I didn't say it was going to be easy.

To call tonight's NBA Finals Game 2 a must win for LeBron and the Cavs is stating the obvious but I think it's interesting how few observers seem to be giving them a chance. San Antonio's dominant performance in Game 1 is a big reason for this but I'm still not backing off of my prediction of a Cavs series win.

I think LeBron will not be as easily shut down as he was in Game 1, if only because every time a team has slowed or stopped him, he's found a way to make them pay the next time. If anything was apparent after the Cavs stormed back to beat Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, it was how quick a study of the game LeBron is. I expect nothing less from him on the biggest basketball stage there is. This is going to be LeBron's domain for foreseeable future. He has already shown his understanding of these moments and how important they are for his legacy. And he’s never said he wants that legacy to be about anything but winning.

The Spurs played great in Game 1. They almost played a perfect game. But still, if you take out the can’t-miss third quarter where the Spurs opened up a 15-point lead, the Cavs were pretty much in the game. The Spurs lead at the half was five points. If the Cavs stay within a basket or two of that, their fourth-quarter 13-4 run might have helped them steal the game.

I saw signs of LeBron figuring out the defense in the fourth quarter. He was getting better looks and the coaches were getting him into better position to make shots. I also think the Cavs were surprised at the intensity of the physical play under the basket. You would think after playing Detroit, it wouldn’t get any tougher but there’s a degree increase when you get to the Finals. Refs seem to let the teams play more and they allow more contact. If you’re gonna score, you’re gonna have to earn it.

This almost always is a shock to players playing in their first Finals. It takes two or three quarters to get a feel for it and I think that and the hyped up feeling that’s natural for first-timers, might have put the Cavs at a real disadvantage.

It’s a big hill to climb but I like the Cavs chances of stealing Game 2.

Ciao Familia

I’m a t.v. writer and while I don’t say much about it here, I can’t let tonight’s “The Sopranos” final go by without a personal goodbye.

I don’t know if it’s the best show ever on t.v., but it sure was unique. Creator David Chase and his staff created not merely a series, but a weaving, sometimes meandering turnpike through the soul of America, pitting our trumped up pseudo morality against our insatiable appetite for violence.

You can trace this back to the first season when Tony, on a college trip to Maine with his daughter Meadow, discovers a former colleague turned informant. When he sneaks off during one of Meadow’s interviews to garrote the rat to death with his bare hands, you are without even realizing it, rooting for him to succeed. When the guy’s eyes bulge out and he breathes his last breath, dropping to the ground in a heap, it is a satisfying moment for Tony – and us. It’s these sorts of feats of magic that make this show so compelling and kept me turning in faithfully.

I think Chase will choose to fade out rather than go out with a bang, because his series has always been so novelistic, and as outlandish some of his characters, his anchors have always been real life. Or it could be a bloodbath. But I will miss "The Sopranos," if only because it’s one more smartly written show leaving the airwaves, but what I’ll mourn is the failure of American television (especially the networks) to learn the right lessons from this show's success. That is that characters count and stories need room to grow, that chopping up one-hour dramas into more parts rather than less is killing storytelling. That we need bad characters as much as good ones, that wrong vs. right doesn’t necessarily have easy answers and that the audience is smarter than we think.

The hole in my heart might yet be filled by David Milch’s newest series, “John From Cincinnati,” which follows Tony’s last hurrah tonight on HBO. I have high hopes for this series and the coming season of “The Wire,” and trust HBO will keep the good stuff coming.

But allow me a moment to grieve for what feels like the end of an era.

Thanks David Chase et al and the fabulous cast and ciao Tony and Chris and Sil and Paulie Walnuts and Janice and Hesh, Meadow and A.J., Bobby and Big Pussy and Uncle Junior, and Dr. Melfi of course and Tony's ducks and Carmella. Especially Carmella.

Un amico non è conosciuto finchè è perso. (A friend is not known til he is lost. - Italian Proverb).

King for a Day ... or More?

LeBron's highlight reel Game 5 against Detroit will stand out as one of the greatest playoff performances in NBA history for sure, but only a casual NBA fan would be looking for LeBron to repeat that same performance in Game 6.

He didn’t match his 48-point score whenever, wherever, however performance. If anything, he did better.

In Game 6, which turned out to be the deciding game as the Cavs topped the Pistons for their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals, LeBron scored only 20 points. But his 14 boards and eight assists were both team highs.

His own offense was overshadowed by a previously unknown second-round draft pick rookie, who poured in 19 of his 31 points in the key fourth quarter.

Even without leading his league in scoring, LeBron had his stamp all over the game. This series will be remembered for LeBron’s maturation. And if he can turn it into a victory in the Finals, which begin Thursday night in San Antonio, it will go down as his career-defining moment.

LeBron gets it now. He has learned how to win and more important he has learned how to win under the brightest lights on the biggest stage and in the enemy’s gym.

The reason Daniel Gibson was open -- wide open -- for those three-pointers in Game 6 was because the Pistons knew they couldn’t win without stopping LeBron. What they didn’t realize was that LeBron has learned that he could lead his team to victory without shouldering the scoring burden.

There have only been a handful of players who could control a game without scoring. Few realized that LeBron was in this category before this series.

Sure, LeBron has unstoppable scoring machine in Game 5 was beautiful to watch but that’s not what validates greatness. It was Saturday night’s Game 6 that will solidify LeBron’s place in basketball history.

He took exactly what the Pistons gave him, which wasn't much. He handled the ball on almost every trip down the court. Instead of forcing up shots, ala Kobe Bryant (go watch the 2004 finals) he tried to find open teammates, and he hit the boards. What other superstar player not named Steve Nash would pass up the glory of scoring just to get a win? What other superstar understands the nanosecond-by-nanosecond flow of a game so completely, that his instincts – to shoot or not to shoot – are almost always correct?

It's a freaking short list, people.

LeBron led his team in rebounds and assists and for the series, he averaged nearly a triple double. The most telling thing about LeBron's game is his ability -- at only 22 years old -- to read and react to defenses from moment to moment. On top of that, he's somehow convinced a not-quite-ready-for-prime-time group of players that they are title contenders.

LeBron has become a true leader. He's got his team believing in him and themselves. This is no small accomplishment in professional sports. I seriously wonder if any player so young has been able to accomplish so much with so little talent on his team.

This is why I’m predicting LeBron will lead his team over the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh?

Maybe not.

Nobody has given the Cavs a chance. In Vegas, the Spurs are 2-1 favorites to win in five games.

The Spurs are the smart pick for sure.

They are peaking at the right time. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli are healthy. Tony Parker is getting better and wiser every year. They have the deepest bench in the playoffs. They have the best active coach (all due respect to Philip) in the NBA. And they've already been to the mountaintop three times. This Spurs team has never lost in the NBA Finals. And, they have home court advantage.

With all that going for the Spurs, why should the Cavs even show up?

Here's why.

First off, the Spurs Western Conference run, while impressive, was easier than it could have been. Phoenix was the series that was supposed to be the default NBA Finals – the two best teams left in the playoffs. But Robert Horry, Amare Staudamire and David Stern turned that into a dud. Golden State had already taken out the number one seed, which left the Spurs to face the young, inexperienced and ultimately overmatched Jazz.

Not surprising then, the Spurs dismissed them with professional ease.

Second, the Spurs have not faced a defense as good and as disciplined as the Cavs. Anyone who paid close attention to the Cleveland-Detroit series, knows the Cavs out-played the Pistons on the defensive end.

And San Antonio plays offense a lot like Detroit. The Spurs like to run a measured half-court offense, feed it to Duncan on the blocks or use their guards to drive and dish to open three-point shooters.

After watching them take down Detroit, this might not surprise the Spurs, but the Cavs should be able to slow them down, which will keep the games close. And keeping the game close is the key to this series.

Because in the playoffs (as we've seen this entire postseason) close games come down to the fourth quarter. Especially those last seven or eight minutes, it's make-or-break time. The intensity ratchets up higher and then keeps going up impossibly more and more. These are the moments that separate the winners from the also-rans.

These are pros. They’re supposed to be able to hit a three with a hand in your face. But what about hitting a three with a title on the line and your palms are sweaty besides and the ball is slick and your heart is pounding so hard it’s making your hands shake?

Can you make that shot? Or will you apple up and clank it off the rim?

If the two teams find themselves in a close fourth quarter in this series, you might say that a team as experienced as the Spurs would have the overwhelming advantage.

But like I said earlier, the Spurs have hardly been challenged this playoffs. Sure, they’re peaking but is it because they’re finally jelling or is a mirage? Is the reality really that they’ve had a relatively easy road to the Finals?

On the other hand, Cleveland was just baptized by fire.

LeBron & Co., had to look into their own hearts, had to battle the odds of being down 0-2 in a seven-game series. And they not only survived, they came out as a totally different team. You want to talk about peaking, look at the Cavs.

And they’re fresh off of a war, while the Spurs had a comparatively easy series with Utah. While the Cavs fought off the Pistons, the Spurs were at home watching and waiting – and more likely than not hoping for a Cavs win. Because before their collapse against the Cavs, the Pistons were the proven winners. The one team you didn’t want to face.

Well, now that’s the Cavs.

The Cavs, you might be interested to learn, who went 2-0 against the Spurs this season. The Cavs who right now have the league’s best player, this year’s Dwayne Wade, the one guy nobody can stop. Not even defensive grand master Bruce Bowen.

The Cavs who have an active shot-blocking seven-footer and some very nice interior defenders. A host of decent shooters. A tougher complimentary player in Larry Hughes and a coach who was schooled at the Gregg Popovich’s side (he was with the Spurs back when they won their first title).

What I'm saying is the games are going to be close. And if they’re close, I think the Cavs can win. Not just with LeBron's offense, but with his leadership.

I'm picking the Cavs. In six.

LeBron’s earned his crown. Now it’s time for him to wear it.

If the Crown Fits ...

My Pool Man. Healdsburg, Ca. May 2007
Betcha didn't watch.

Betcha thought "fly-over" basketball wasn't your cup of tea. You're too busy following the Kobe saga, perhaps. Or maybe you're catching up on summer re-runs. If you weren't watching the Detroit-Cleveland Game 5 on TNT tonight, S.O.L. feels sorry for your ass.

Your friend is probably leaving you a voicemail right now saying how sick that game was. He's telling you how LeBron took over the game in the fourth quarter, how he scored his team's last 25 points, how three of his teammates fouled out and his boys were trailing by eight in the fourth and somehow, someway he managed to put his team on his back and lead them to victory. This is one time when the telling ain't gonna come close to the actual seeing.

You had to be there sitting in front of your flat screen, sport. Sorry for you if you weren't.

This game was crazy. Crazy. LeBron hit a few shots that were unstoppable. I mean seriously, how can you expect anyone short of nine feet tall to block a jumper when LeBron leaps off the floor and hangs there for days? You can't. It's crazy. And he didn't it again and again. Like the other team was just a mild annoyance.

How crazy? Down the stretch and in the overtimes (that's right there were two of those) there were four key moments when the Cavs had to score. It's simple: they don't get a basket, game over. That's all she wrote folks. Pistons get two games to get a return trip to the final.

And we're talking about a great defensive team in the Pistons. Not the kind of club you can waltz through the paint and, say, slam the ball through the hoop, right?

Shit, if you're LeBron James that's exactly what you do. Three times he faked and juked and jammed -- as easy if the Pistons just engraved a Dunk Anytime Invitation for him.

The other time, the hoop that won the game, was just a mortal's layup. If you don't take into account his lightening head fake, the underhanded scoop and double pump and finger tip action that spun the ball off the backboard and through the net. I ain't lying. Watch ESPN tonight and see for yourself.

LeBron finished with 48 points (18-for-33), nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. And as good as his numbers were, he should have had a half-dozen more assists. In fact, if Cleveland had anybody else who could score, LeBron would be looking at a nightly triple-double. I can't remember a player so young who got so far with so little talent at his side. But he's so good right now, he's overcoming his team's mistakes and even his coach's mistakes. And he can't be counted out against anybody, not even the waiting San Antonio Spurs, although they have a lot more weapons on offense then the Pistons do.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

Tonight's game was a signature, career-defining moment for a player that was anointed before he even played one game in the NBA. Well, for once, the anointers got it right. This performance will be remembered for a long time.

Longer still if LeBron finishes what he started come Saturday. Yep, Cleveland's got just a 3-2 lead. You gotta close the deal, King James. This win won't mean shit unless they're talking about it (and you) in the NBA Finals.

Go claim your mantle, young man.

You have made believers out of all of us.

A King Arrives

Moon Shot (blue) Healdsburg, CA May 2007
I told ya.

I told ya LeBron was getting it. I told you the Pistons were vulnerable. Well fuck me if we don't have a series or what?

Who among you now wants to bet against the King getting into his first NBA Finals?

And now, can Deron Williams make up for the meltdown of Derek Fisher and the Jazz on Monday night? What intrigue. Damn, I love the NBA Playoffs.

What's with the Pistons, anyway? They're the best third-quarter team in basketball. I mean they seem to always changed the course of the game in the third quarter, only to barely survive a fourth-quarter comeback. It happened in their series against Chicago. It happened in almost every game in this series too.

S.O.L. wasn't the only one paying attention. Young LeBron saw how close he and his team were to winning Games 1 and 2. Seriously, if Rasheed doesn't hit those crazy ass shots in Game 2, we might be looking at a Cleveland close-out game tomorrow night in Deetroit.

As it is, we're at 2 games apiece and if ever a very good team looked in trouble, it's the Pistons. They had no answer for LeBron in the fourth quarter last night. Seriously folks, how does one stop a step back three-point fade away jump shot? S.O.L. bows down to his Kingness.

I wonder if the Jazz is toast after that awful display of losing its cool in Game 4. In my mind's eye, I was watching Deron watching LeBron last night and thinking, "I can do that.

Well, I can't do that sick shit, but I can lead my team to victory."

But I'm not sure about the psychological makeup of the Jazz. I guess we'll all find out tonight.

Later today: another Mets comeback.

Welcome to the NBA

Los Angeles Sunset
Roll out two welcome mats this week for young comers, LeBron James and Deron Williams.

For Deron (pronounced like Darrin), the welcome party was not a good one. Coming off a great Game 3 performance in which he single-handedly got his team back into their playoff series against the Spurs, Williams had to fight the effects of a stomach flu and a tough defense down the stretch in watching his team flail, fade and fall to the Spurs in the crucial Game 4. Now the Spurs get two of three in San Antonio to close out the series and get to their fourth title game in the last decade.

Meanwhile, the young Jazz have only to sit and wonder why. And part of the reason is with the meltdown of the team's one supposed veteran. Derek Fisher, until now an inspirational figure and floor leader during Utah's playoff run, completely fucked his team last night. His flopping has always been more suited for World Cup Soccer than the NBA and when he wasn't getting the calls last night, he lost his cool and Utah lost the series.

I'm not sure this is a game you can rebound from but Deron Williams is such an unusual character and such a gifted player, that I think it's entirely possible to see this series return to Utah. Playoff teams have to grow up sometime. Why wait til next year?

Halfway across the country, the NBA's so-called lessor Division is playing basketball too. The feeling among most experts is that Detroit and Cleveland are playing for the right to lose the NBA finals to whoever comes out of the West. I think it's overstated but there's no doubt that the East is way behind the West in terms of fielding the NBA's best basketball teams.

Like the Spurs, the Pistons rushed out to a 2-0 lead and looked headed to an easy series win. But LeBron James continued his maturation as player and leader and with each passing quarter, his play has subtly and not so subtly improved by noticeable increments. Cleveland didn't so much as beat the Pistons on Sunday, LeBron took it from them.

Word is that shooting guard and quality defender Larry Hughes will miss tonight's game with a food injury but I'm not so sure this will slow down LeBron just yet. I think a switch went off somewhere in the course of the fourth quarter in Game 2 and he's coming to understand how to win playoff games. I don't know if he has the horses to help him but I do know that the Pistons are beatable (Chicago won two straight off the Pistons in the last series after they took a 2-0 lead against them) and Dwayne Wade proved last year that they are susceptible to a one-man team.

The Pistons strength is keeping the game close until the fourth where their quality defense (especially in playoffs) and ice-water shooters (Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton) hit just enough down the stretch to give them the win. But in a close game, there's no guarantee of stopping a guy like LeBron when he gets it. And right now, he's getting it in a big way.

It's clear by now that S.O.L. fears the end of the basketball season is upon us and for that reason, I'm rooting for the underdog in both series. I'm not ready to give up on the hoops obsession, even if USA basketball is coming this summer. Shit, especially since USA basketball is coming.

Poor Kobe

Kobe announced this weekend that he’s frustrated by the lack of progress by his Lakers and the inability of the front office to surround him with a championship caliber team.

Kobe’s solution is to invite Jerry West back to L.A. when the Logo officially steps down from his current job in Memphis.

The irony here runs deeper than a black hole. In the Kobe-said, Shaq-said fallout in L.A. two summers ago, plenty of blame went around. But no one can convince me that Kobe did not want to be The Man in Lakerland, at any cost. The cost was, apparently, Shaq being run out on a rail – all the way to South Beach where he got his, with the help of Dwayne Wade and a bunch of has been backups.

Meanwhile, Kobe has the Lakers to himself, continues to fail to learn what it takes to be an actual leader of them and wonders why he’s been watching the playoffs (and in his mind less talented players) from the confines of his own home?
Deny all he wants, but Kobe could have gone to Jerry Buss and been a real man and said “do what it takes to keep the big fella – I’ll make it work”. But he didn’t and if anyone’s surprised at the results, they’re not paying attention.

You can’t call yourself a leader. You have to actually be a leader. You don’t have to be a nice guy, you have to get your team to believe – not in you but in themselves. You have to show them the way and let them know they can follow you over the steepest cliff and if they crash, you will crash together. And never, for even a second, let them think you will ask of them what you wouldn’t do yourself.

You want a team leader? Watch the Utah-Spurs game tomorrow night. Take a gander at a kid named Deron Williams. Shoot, you could have your pick tonight in Cleveland – between LeBron and Billups. You want leaders. Them there’s leaders.

Don’t cry for Kobe. Unless you want to cry for his thick head.

Life Goes On

After an appropriate period of mourning over the Suns-Spurs playoff series, S.O.L. is ready to talk about the Western Conference Finals.

It's hard to pick against the Spurs. They're deep, smart, physical, play great defense and most important, they're on a serious roll. Nothing is as important in the playoffs of any of the major sports -- nothing -- than getting hot. How many times have we seen the blistering team beat the better one on their way to an improbable title? Too many times to list here -- and in this case, the blistering team is arguably the better team anyway. But does that mean we should just anoint the Spurs as Western Conference Champions?

Nah.

The Jazz aren't playing half bad either. And they're built for the playoffs. On top of that, surprisingly for a Jerry Sloan-coached team, they score a lot of points and they run a lot.

I think the matchup will come down to Utah's outside shooting -- which will decide who goes on to represent the West in the NBA Finals. The Spurs have a very, very good interior defense -- as they proved against the Suns. If they can stop the best distributor in the league in his sneaker tracks, then there's no reason to think they can't stop a mere mortal from getting to the basket. However, Utah has two things the Suns didn't have. They have bigs who can shoot outside (Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko) and they've got a strong, tough inside post-up game (Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap). On top of that, AK 47 can also play a pretty decent point forward and it's hard to stop dribble penetration by a guy who's 6-9 but as rangy as a seven-footer.

Deron Williams, Derek Fisher and AK will get into the lane and if Okur is his usual accurate three-point shooting self, Utah has a chance to spread the floor in a way that Phoenix only did in spurts against the Spurs. Forcing Duncan (and/or Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto) to guard Boozer one-on-one will play right into to Utah's hands. And here's where the refs could play a role in the outcome -- Boozer is a master at getting to the line and he continued doing this in the first two rounds. If he can get his share of free throws, that could be a problem for San Antonio. They're deep, yes, but there is a precipitous decline from Duncan and Horry to Oberto, Elson and then to Matt Bonner.

On defense, the Jazz have the big bodies and physical play to slow down Manu Ginobli and keep him from taking over the game like he did in Games 5 and 6 against the Suns.

The big concern for the Jazz will be stopping Tony Parker from dashing around the floor like a speed demon. Williams is going to be great one day but he's still prone to getting into foul trouble and he will have his hands full staying in front of Parker. If he's got two fouls in the first eight minutes, the Jazz don't have a chance.

The X-factor has got to be Derek Fisher, a familiar thorn in the side of the Spurs. How much his veteran leadership adds to the mix, whether he can hit those clutch shots down the stretch like he did against Golden State – those can be turning points, one way or the other.

The Jazz are an underrated team in part because there is a consensus that they lucked out in drawing a second-round matchup against Golden State, the eighth and last seed in the West, instead of number one, 67-win, MVP carrying, juggernaut of Dallas. But the Warriors were not your typical eight seed. Injuries put them in a hole the first half of the season and they not only fought out of it, they imposed their will on the basketball court in getting into the postseason and all but sweeping the Mavs out in the first round.

They play a frantic, scrambling, all-hands defense, like the Orcs in Lord of the Rings attacking the castle in waves upon waves upon waves upon waves. If you can withstand that sort of pressure – and the way the Warriors almost never quit and made shot after improbable shot – you can call yourself a proven playoff performer. If that doesn’t give you confidence that you can win it all, nothing will.

While the Spurs have to feel confident, too, you’d have to think they feel lucky to have been able to dispatch the Suns in six games. Lucky that the League disemboweled Phoenix by suspending two players who didn’t throw a punch – and that the guy who did throw one, is back on the bench in uniform for today's Game One.

They should feel that they are better than Utah, of course, but who could blame them for having a seed of doubt in the back of their minds about what went down in Round One? Yeah, right. Doesn't sound like a Gregg Popovich-coached team, does it? Well, the truth is that over the years the Spurs have been at times mentally soft (2004 vs. the Lakers for example) and anyone who has seen Duncan on the free-throw line knows he can have lapses in confidence.

It’s obvious no doubt, but if Utah is to have a chance in this series, they need to assert it today, in game one. This team has to come out firing, has to keep the pressure on, has to play like this possession right here might be the difference between a trip to the finals and a trip home.

Tomorrow: finally, S.O.L. talks about the East.

Suns Set

Road Oak, Healdsburg, Ca. May 2007
Wow. S.O.L. is not used to being wrong.

But last night’s game between the Spurs and the Suns makes twice this playoffs that I’ve been on the flip side of right. I really thought the Suns would pull out Game 6 tonight, even though it was in San Antonio. But playing short-handed in the previous game seems to have taken the flow out of their free flow offense.

That and a stifling Spurs defense, especially Bruce Bowen on the perimeter and Tim Duncan inside. T.D. had something like 10 blocks in the game, most of them coming from the weak side as a help out defender. When a two-time league MVP and 10-time member of the All-Defensive team, is playing help D, you’re offense is in trouble. Even the high-powered, high-scoring Suns offense.

The Spurs harassed Steve Nash all night and the refs were letting them do it. For the third time this series, Nash and his mates didn’t solve the Spurs’ defense until their backs were against the wall. And except for Game 3 in San Antonio, they ran out of time.

I still think the decision to suspend Diaw and Stoudemire was stupid and could have been handled better. It disemboweled the Suns for Game 5 and now we'll never know what this series could have been had NBA commissioner David Stern kept his whistle in his pocket.

Nash summed it up well in comments quoted at ESPN.com.

"I can sit up here and complain about it after the fact... I guess cry about it after the fact. But it's tough not to just think forever what would have happened if this stupid rule didn't get in the way of this series. There's no guarantees of anything, but to come this far and put this much into a season and for us to be without two key guys for Game 5 for nothing we instigated -- and for not either one of them having a malicious tone in their offense -- will forever haunt us. But I don't want to cry about it after the fact. The Spurs played great."

Allow me to cry then.

This will be a rough summer for Nash and the Suns, a serious bitter pill that was in part self-inflicted. If Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw stay rooted to the bench after Robert Horry hip-checked Nash into the scorer’s table at the end of a stirring come-from-behind win in Game 3, we might be talking about the Suns moving on, instead of the perennial championship-contending Spurs.

The only good thing about the Spurs going on to win another title is Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich surpassing Phil Jackson and the Lakers’ recent run. Three titles don’t seem all that impressive when the other guy is out there winning four. And with Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker still relatively young, there’s no reason to doubt they could win this year -- and next.

The Spurs will face the young, upstart Utah Jazz. On paper it looks like a mismatch. But if anyone can man-up against these Spurs, it's the Jazz. Still, the wound of seeing the Suns bounced out of the playoffs like this is still too fresh to talk about the next round. I'll save that for another day.

There’s a fine line between getting over the hill that stands between pretenders and contenders. The window of opportunity is small and it shuts awfully fast (see: Sacramento, Portland and Indiana for recent examples). The Suns are fortunate to be young but if they can’t figure out how to stand toe-to-toe with physical, grind-’em-out teams like the Spurs at playoff time, this Phoenix team will fade into history title-less, just like all its predecessors.

Game 3 should have been the defining moment for the Suns. But it all changed in a blink when Horry disgraced the NBA and Stoudemire and Diaw left the bench to defend their fallen teammate. A lesson learned of course. A lot of lessons learned. How will the Suns respond? They have all summer to think about it.

For now, NBA fans are poorer for not getting to see more of Steve Nash.

Suns Burned

Somewhere in the middle of the chippy third quarter Wednesday night in Phoenix, it was clear how badly the Suns missed their two best big men. It was visible on the offensive side of the court for the Suns when playmaker extraordinaire Steve Nash would work the pick-and-roll. He'd go around a pick, get into the lane and when the defense closed in, he'd pass it off to .... Kurt Thomas?

Thomas was game but he's no Amare Stoudemire and that reality, more than anything else last night is what burned the Suns, putting them in a 3-2 hole in their best-of-seven playoff series.

You won't likely see as gutty a performance (on both ends of the court) from an aging defensive specialist like Thomas in a bigger game. He gave it all he had. But while Thomas is known for his ability to play tough under the basket, it's in bursts of minutes here and there, a total of 20 or so a game. Last night, he played nearly 40 minutes and by halftime he was sucking wind so bad he could barely answer Craig Sager's halftime interview questions. Or maybe it was Sager's lime green coat.

Considering their handicap, it was amazing to watch the Suns nearly run the Spurs off the court in the first half. They held them to season lows in points for a quarter (13 in the first) and a half (33 at intermission) but they couldn't score at their usual blistering pace and their short rotation all but gave out by the end of the game.

You could blast the league (as S.O.L. did yesterday here) for suspending the Suns best big man Amare Stoudemire and his backup Boris Diaw, and in my oh so humble opinion, you'd be right. But those two knuckleheads knew the rule and left the bench anyway, so some of the blame ought to be on their very broad shoulders.

The dirty, black-hatted Spurs -- a team I liked before this series -- now has the series lead, ahead 3-2. But as tough a loss this must have been for the Suns to handle (they held the lead for all but perhaps five minutes of the game), they have to feel good about the way they played and how easily they could have won this game despite being without two of their most important players (Did I mention that Stoudemire is leading his team this series in scoring and rebounding).

You could even that the Suns are missing another player too, even though he's on the floor for everyone to see. I'm talking about Leandro Barbosa. This is the cat who shredded the Lakers during the first round. There is just no way the Brazilian Blur should not be torching the Spurs up and down the damn court. The Spurs really don't have anyone who can hang with him. The problem is that his success really hinges on his shot and right now that shot is just not falling. Last night he was 3-for-12 for a measly eight points, only two more than the number of fouls he picked up (6).

S.O.L. predicted a Suns win last night and was feeling pretty damn good after the first quarter -- though I admit to being nervous at the relatively close score. A new day dawns for the Suns come Friday night in San Antonio?

Remember the Alamo, indeed.

Suns fans. Keep your tickets for Sunday. Game 7 will happen.

Warriors Wash Out

My Backyard, Healdsburg, CA April 2007
Golden State's run in this year's playoffs was both inspiring and awesome -- and at times completely frustrating.

Tonight's Game 5 loss to Utah summed up the Warriors' run -- the good, the bad and the oogily.

All you have to do is look at the last minute of the third quarter. The score is 77-73 Jazz and the Warriors have the ball and a little bit of momentum, what with their usual sure-fire three-point shooting not anywhere in building. Stephen Jackson has the ball on the wing and he's being guarded by Matt Harpring, who truth be told has been giving Jackson a tough time. But Harpring is known for his hard-nosed, football-style defense and Jackson won't be the last offensive player who lets him get under his skin.

Instead of sharing the ball, Jackson tries to go one-on-one against Harpring forces an ugly shot and the Jazz get the rebound. On the way down the court, a frustrated Jackson takes down Jazz point guard Dee Brown (who is playing for the first time since suffering a scary neck injury in Game 1). Jackson draws a flagrant foul, giving Utah two foul shots and the ball back. Bad enough until Jackson's jawing brings him a technical foul on top of that. So it's three free shots for the Jazz and the ball back.

Unbelievably, the Jazz miss all three foul shots and do not even score on their ensuing possession, and the Warriors are still in the game -- even after they just miss an ill-advised three-point shot on their next possession. Ah, but the writing was already on the wall.

There's a tiny bit of redemption in the way the Warriors handled the loss after the buzzer. As the final seconds were ticking off the clock in Utah's clinching 100-87 win, Jackson walked over to Utah coach Jerry Sloan and offered a congratulatory hug. The rest of the Warriors manned up too, staying on their opponent's court under a rain of purple and white confetti, to give propers to the winners.

As stupid as they played in the tight moments of this series, they handled the aftermath with aplomb. Here's hoping they come back more mature -- especially Jackson who is alternately a great team player, a solid citizen and a total freaking knucklehead who lets his emotions overrule is better intincts.

Congrats to the Jazz who proved that size really does matter in the NBA playoffs as they make it to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1998. The good news for Jerry Sloan is he won't be seeing Michael Jordan on the other guy's sideline. The bad news -- his team is going to be the dog to whoever makes it out of the Suns-Spurs war.

You'll hear a lot about how Derek Fisher was the difference-maker in this series and how Carlos Boozer ruled the paint, but allow me to give a shout out to Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap, two of the unsung heroes that made sure the Jazz got their business done. Kirilenko, who was in tears after a particularly poor performance in Utah's first-round series with Houston, has rediscovered the confidence that once made him the NBA's best all-around player. He hasn't yet played like the AK-47 of two season's ago but if he's able to reclaim that magic, the Jazz might just make it to the NBA Finals.

Millsap was just a beast inside. He was first to a lot of loose balls and offensive rebounds and he played great interior defense. He came through in some big moments, not bad for a guy who is getting his first taste of the grand stage of the NBA playoffs.

So much more fun to be had this postseason. I'll be checking back in with you after tomorrow night's game.

Suspending Belief

Magic World, May 2007
S.O.L. is not down with NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson's decision to suspend Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw a game each for their actions Monday night. The starting center/forward and his main backup were guilty of leaving the bench after their team leader was pummeled by the Robert Horry at the end of the Suns' comeback win Monday night.

The rule in question -- "all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of the bench" -- during an altercation was enforced to the letter of the law. But what about the intent, as many people have argued today, including Suns' chairman Jerry Colangelo who spoke to the New York Times by phone after the decision was handed down early Tuesday afternoon.

"Someone takes out one of your players, and you’re the one that gets penalized," Colangelo told the Times. “Horry again was the culprit, and we lose every which way. I guess you’d like to believe that a rule is a rule, but fairness and reason should have entered into the equation. The spirit of the rule is more important than the actual stepping on the court.”

So it's not a big surprise that Colangelo wants his main big man on the court for the pivotal Game (in a series tied at 2 games apiece) but what good does it do to disembowel the Suns when the players in question didn't exactly run out onto the floor? What they did was take a few steps off the bench before being pulled back by assistant coaches. Can't the rule include the discretion of the NBA as to the players' intent -- or at the very least that they did not in any way ramp up the intensity of the moment?

Horry, who's forearm shiver was disgraceful and dirty, got a two-game suspension but S.O.L. thinks that was two lenient. Cat shouldn't be allowed back on the floor this playoffs -- even if the Spurs get beyond two more games.

Frankly, I'm not all that convinced that they will, even with the huge advantage they've now been given with the Suns best player not named Steve Nash sitting at home in street clothes. Sure the Spurs are the deepest team in the league, but with Big Shot Bob not even in the building, they will at least be missing a major playoff weapon and experienced playoff performer.

I've don't think the Spurs play dirty, as Stoudemire and others have alleged during this playoffs in before, but this play was dirty and San Antonio's defense of it (coach Gregg Popovich said he "didn't think it was such a big deal,") makes me lose a lot of respect for a group I previously thought were true professionals. Fuck 'em.

I'm rooting for the Suns tomorrow night. Tune in, sports fans. I gotta feeling this one is going to be one for the ages -- and Phoenix is going to rise up from this injustice.

Golden State Goodbye???

It's early in the second half of the Warriors - Jazz Game 5 -- a series that the Jazz is leading 3-1, and the game is tight, but it feels like Utah is going to pull this game out. I just think the Warriors' short-rotation is sucking wind and the Jazz big men are imposing their will on the smaller, quicker Warriors.

Whatever happens, S.O.L. gives a major salute to the Warriors for an inspired and thrilling -- and surprising run. Here's hoping it keeps up -- either this season or next.

Ad Nauseam

A note about watching the games on TNT. First, loving it in HD so props there. But what's with all the lame promo ads for "House of Payne," "The Closer," and TNT's other upcoming t.v. series. Hey, as a t.v. writer, I appreciate them pimping their own shows, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing and playing the same damn ads over and over and over and over again is too much of a good thing. I mean if I hear that tear-stained screaming woman crying "They murdered my son!!!" one more fucking time, I'm going to throw my beer at the freaking t.v.

And speaking of adverts, what brainiac at Heineken came up with the new lite beer spot? Putting the beer bottles under a spotlight and blaring the song Pussycat Doll's "Don't Cha" is likely causing an increase in the serial killer population.

All I can say is thank God above for the mute button.

More Mets and the NBA Plays Rough

Route 101 North, at Sunset May 2007

The Mets have won four out of five games since shaving their heads. A small sampling to judge whether shaving heads makes you a better baseball team, considering they were 7-3 in the 10 games before they got really short haircuts.

More important, it seems to have done wonders for David Wright, who started the shearing in the first place. The Mets' poster boy has spent the first month and a half of the season mired in a slump. He seemed to be picking up from where he left off last season when he opened by extending his end-of-season hitting streak from last year, but it was clear he wasn't comfortable at the plate.

He finished April with a .244 batting average, one home run and a paltry 6 R.B.I. Not what you want to see from the number five hitter on the major's best run-scoring team.

But since shaving his head before last Tuesday's game in San Francisco, Wright has 7 hits, three home runs and a game-winning double. You know how swimmers and cyclists shave their heads (and other body parts) so they can be more aerodynamic? Well, Wright's got four stolen bases since the barber paid him a visit to his hotel room, including three in one game (a career high). I'm thinking now that Jose Reyes has finally joined the baldies on the team, I expect him to steal 200 bases this year.

Most important development this weekend is how the Mets played against the Milwaukee Brewers, this year's version of the 2006 Detroit Tigers (or the 2005 White Sox) as MLB's most surprising team. The Brew Crew came into Shea with a swagger -- and the major's best record. They looked like world-beaters in crushing the Mets 12-3 on Saturday but that impressive work was sandwiched between two methodical victories by the Mets. It was the first road series loss of the season for the Brewers.

Rough and Tumble

Right now, the most fun-to-watch teams left in the playoffs are getting beat down by more bigger, more physical teams. Saturday's Spurs-Suns Game 3 was about as physical game as I've seen since the Lakers-Spurs series in 2004. That's when San Antonio crushed the Lakers at home in the first two games in part because this youngster named Tony Parker was driving to the basket with abandon and success. Only when the series went back to L.A., suddenly Parker was mugged every time he went to the hoop -- except the refs weren't calling fouls anymore. In the first two games of the series, the foul calls were even at 51 apiece but over the next four games -- all Lakers wins -- the Lakers got 126 fouls to the Spurs' 87.

I'm not blaming the refs for this disparity, just pointing out the importance of aggressive play during the playoffs. The first two games Parker pretty much scored at will in the paint, driving and scoring layups or dishing to an open man. He seemed to be going at a different speed than the Lakers' defense.

That all changed in Game 3. The Lakers, having nothing much to lose with a 0-2 deficit, started collapsing on Parker when he drove into the paint and making it hard for him to get off a shot. No question he was getting fouled on some of those drives but it was the playoffs, man, and the theory is you don't get those calls in the playoffs. The Lakers held court and then used a miracle shot by Derek Fisher with four-tenths of a second on the clock to steal Game 5 and that was all she wrote for those seemingly fragile Spurs. Parker scored 50 points in the first two games of the series. The last four? That's right, 50 points -- total.

The Spurs learned a lesson back in 2004 and used it with authority in Game 3 at home against the free-flowing Suns. Two things they did great on Saturday. One is they stayed in front of the King of Point Guards. And two, whenever he did get by a defender, there was always someone waiting to help out on D. But they also played tougher physically and there was a lot of extra-curricular banging and bumping in that game -- by both teams. The only difference it seemed to me, was that the Spurs didn't let it effect them and they made their shots

Nash did not respond to the pounding correctly in the first half -- he looked and acted frustrated. It didn't help the Suns that their biggest man on the floor was saddled with three fouls in the first half and played 19 seconds in the third quarter before picking up ugly number four. But there's hope for Suns fans, in S.O.L.'s view. Nash played a great quarter and for all his youth and too much talking, Amare is a smart kid gifted with an instinct for the game. Plus, for the first time perhaps all season, Boris Diaw played like he did in his coming-out party last year in the playoffs. I believe the Suns are tougher than they get credit for and I predict the series goes to Phoenix tied 2-2.

Up here in the Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors have been all the rage. And why not. They all but swept the defending Western Conference champions out of the playoffs and their open three-point-shooting, in-your-face, speed-demon style is fun as hell to watch. Plus, they opened the playoffs with four victories on their home court, almost all of them by double-digits.

The buzz kill has come in the face of the Utah Jazz. Using tough inside play and showing the discipline to withstand the inevitable roaring-crowd-fueled runs by the young Warriors, the Jazz host Game 5 on Tuesday on their home court leading the series 3-1. No one is really counting out the Warriors but it's hard to see them winning three straight, even with the kind of magical playoffs they've been having.

The Warriors can win if they keep hitting those big threes, but they have to find a way to stop Carlos Boozer from scoring inside. Boozer has become a real floor leader for the young Jazz and he's battling a rep as being too soft under the basket. Okay, so it's not saying all that much against a Warriors team that plays small ball, but still, Boozer has to make those big shots. When he hit two consecutive tough inside jumpers at a critical moment early in the game with a frenzied crowd in his ears, you just had to know he was going to show up at crunch time. And let's face it, if Boozer isn't scoring inside, Fisher doesn't get those open looks in the fourth and maybe they're going back to Utah tied 2-2 instead of up 3-1. It doesn't help Golden State's mojo that Fisher is having a storybook run of his own and Deron Williams and Paul Millsap are growing up before our eyes.

Love watching the Warriors. Love the fan support -- even the Lakers and Kings haven't done what the Warriors did last night -- but I've got a family the magic runs out in Salt Lake.

Speaking of the NBA Playoffs, we all had to watch the games on ABC this weekend. I love Mike Breen - I think he's one of the best broadcasters going these days. But the sexy chicks singing that stupid "right now" song? Please, get rid of that shit. It's beyond bad. It's embarrassingly bad. ABC -- please cease and desist. Right. Now.

Beer, Basketball, Boxing & a Baby Boy

Farm house
My husband and I went to the Boonville Beer Festival Saturday which takes place every year in Boonville, Ca., which is North East of San Francisco between Cloverdale and the California coast. For those of you who live sheltered lives, hand-crafted beer has been a big part of the California organic movement and over the years has become a pretty big industry, going hand-and-hand with locally-grown and raised food and wine.

My husband and I were early converts to the microbrew. Life is too damn short to hang out with Bud, Coors or Lites, no matter how you spell it. Anyway, festivals like Boonville are just a chance for folks to try different brews from around the country (mostly out West here) and listen to some tunes and eat BBQ oysters, meat and chicken. If you haven't tried BBQ oysters, by the way, you ain't living, folks.

Anyway, I felt appropriately old for the first two or three glasses of brew but once the buzz kicked in, all those evil thoughts receded to the dark recesses of my mind. And I learned something new, too. Every time someone spills a beer, the crowd whoops and hollers -- it's like the wave at a baseball game as the sound picks up and carries all the way across the fair grounds.

Here's a few photos from the event. The good looking guy with the beer is S.O.L.'s other half.

NBA Playoffs Move On

Golden State didn't only finish off the Dallas Mavericks they beat them back in to last year, that's when the Mavs last looked like they weren't as good as their record or their superstar when Miami came back from a 2-0 deficit to take the O'Brien Trophy from their slippery clutches.

This beating -- only the third time an eight seed has beaten a number 1 in the playoffs -- was so thorough and so humiliating, the Mavs may never recover from it and worse, when (and if) Dirk Nowitzki is awarded the award for season MVP (the voting ends before the playoffs), it will seem like a travesty.

I think the Mavs will come back strong next year. I have faith in Avery Johnson though I wonder if Dirk is too fragile to handle the heat of the toughest battles. So far, he's been a no-show when it really counts.

Props to the Warriors, though, who ran the Mavs out of the gym and proved that sometimes it's better to be without expectations.

As for failing on the biggest stage, it's fair to add Tracy McGrady to that list. For now. I think T-Mac stepped up this season more than almost any other player, even Kobe who was said to be the sole reason the Lakers made the playoffs. The number one Rocket played big for his team when their 7-6 centerpiece went down for a long stretch in the middle of the season. The fact that he couldn't lead them over the Utah Jazz isn't necessarily his fault. The Jazz got a big performance by the man that Yao should at least slowed down. Still Boozer's numbers were sick and it's possible even The Dream in his prime might not have made a difference.

Utah's win sets up a second-round matchup against those new darlings of the NBA, Golden State Warriors, though I wouldn't be surprised if David Stern is a wee bit nervous. Not even Nellie could possibly know what his team will do next -- explode or implode. So far in the playoffs, it's been an either/or situation. Ya gotta like the Warriors chances of making it to the Western Conference Finals (think a lot of folks bet on that before the season started?).

The other Western series pits Phoenix and San Antonio, a matchup a lot of folks are calling the real NBA Finals. I think the series is going to be close with the Spurs having a slight edge because they're just playing great D right now. But I like the Suns in a long series because I think they have the ability to adjust and they're younger and possibly more resiliant. Nash is just too good and the Suns coach, while not quite as smart as the Spurs Gregg Poppovich, is a bright guy who is very much underrated. A classic battle between a great offensive and a stingy D. It will be a great series for NBA fans.

And finally, don't worry about this series being the last great one of the season. Whoever comes out of the West will have their hands full if they have to face Detroit which is playing like they did when they won it all a couple seasons back. The Pistons have quietly won five straight games in the playoffs, the last one by double-digits over the Bulls who looked like world-beaters last week in vanquishing the defending champs.

Don't even think about counting out LeBron and the Cavs, either. They have an underrated young coach, and a player who is a true fourth-quarter superstar. Right now they're even playing pretty decent interior defense. I predict they'll have as easy time with the Nets as the Pistons will have with the Bulls.

Pretty Boy is Golden

I don't think anyone who knows the sport of boxing really thought Oscar De La Hoya had any shot of beating Floyd Mayweather Jr. last night in their much anticipated super welterweight bout last night. The big surprise is how well the Golden Boy fought and even more so, that had he really stuck to his game plan (especially that quick, punishing left jab of his) he might very well have beaten Mayweather, a superior fighter in almost every respect but power (and thus a 2-1 favorite).

The only other thing that stood out for me in this fight is the only thing that ever stands out in fights broadcast by HBO Pay Per View (besides the price -- $65 for the privilege) and that's analysis Larry Merchant. Why anyone lets this guy do t.v. is beyond me. Besides being the slowest talker in the history of sports broadcasting, he almost never has anything interesting to say.

And that's not the worst thing you can say about Merchant. Rumors have it that he clashed with other, better color analysts, including former pro boxers like George Foreman and Roy Jones, Jr., who were fun to listen to and actually offered insight instead of bad poetry.

Even last night, he bristled at Emanuel Steward's assertion that de la Hoya would tire late in the fight (basing his opinion on how 'intense' and 'tight' Oscar seemed in the early rounds). And it was pretty clear that Oscar ran out of gas late. Maybe that's because Steward unlike Merchant, actually knows what the fuck he's talking about.

Aunt S.O.L.

That's right, S.O.L. became an aunt for the fourth time today, May 6, 2007. Get it? 5/6/7.

Ain't that sweet?

I wish I had a photo but I'm waiting for my brother to send me one. After three girls, we're welcoming the first nephew to the brood. His name is Seth Reuben (the middle name belonged to my late grandfather on my Mom's side) and he weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Welcome to life, Seth. May you make a mark on this crazy world and may you find only love and hope and health and happiness.

UPDATE: Some photos, as promised:

Last Gasp, Last Rites and Race & the Refs

Spring blooms

Well, Dirk Nowitzki finally showed his pretty little ol' basketball playing self on Tuesday night, sparking a do-or-die last-minute rally against Golden State to snare victory from sure this-loss-we-never-get-over defeat. Nowitzki hit a three-pointer, blocked a sure lay-up and hit another three on his way to scoring 12 of Dallas' last 15 points in a 15-0 run to force Game 6 in Oakland.

It was a rough end for Golden State who was on the brink of being the darlings of the NBA playoffs, and only the second eighth seed ever to take down a number one in round one (and still are). Why not - they had a 9-point lead with four minutes to go and then without warning, couldn't hit anything but the actual rim of the basket. Clank, clank, clank.

The result - the Warriors host Game 6 up 3-2 against a seemingly resurgent Dallas squad, particularly its unbelievably fragile Nowitzki. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect from Game 6. No clue. I will be rooting for a Game 7 however cause I'm a basketball fan.

Speaking of meltdowns, another bush league move by Stephen Jackson (who to quote his own insightful comments Wednesday, does have "moron" written across his forehead). I thought he deserved the T if for nothing else but for losing without grace, as the Warriors also did in getting flustered in Game 2. Love their confidence, love their groove but don't tell me you can't turn off the chest-thumping bravado when appropriate. I know they can do that -- how else did they lose all those games during the season?

As for Game 6, the Chuckster is right. Golden State has to win tomorrow night's game. There is no way they want to go back to Dallas for a Game 7, especially how badly they seemed to gag up at the end of Game 5.

And by the way, as much as I love Avery Johnson, I'm trying to figure out how come it took so damn long for Dallas to freaking put a trap on Baron Davis? The kid is killing them. He practically scores wherever he wants to and however he wants. He's faster than the Mavs' backcourt players and his step-back jumper is money. Dallas will have its ownself to blame if it doesn't keep Davis out of the lane and from the bulk of his playmaker duties. If not, they'll be watching Davis and his boys in the second round. And they have the players to slow him down. You don't win 67 freaking games and not have a damn defense. Does S.O.L. sound mad? Well you would to if your first-round prediction was about to go up in smoke. I thought this was the easy series, too.

Anyway, it's must-watch NBA t.v. Thursday night. I got half a mind to go down to the Oracle myself and scalp a ticket. The fans are going to be frenzied.

No frenzy in L.A. this morning, as the Lakers have gone fishin' early again, the fifth straight year the Lakers have not embraced the O'Brien trophy. Kobe's fans will say it's the Big Guy's fault but so far, the score is Shaq - 1, Kobe - goose egg. I just don't see ol' Mamba winning a title any time soon, not with that roster and not with the Logo no longer working in L.A. I love how Kobe is "demanding" he get help next season. He had help. His name was Shaquille O'Neal and he drove his ass out of town and anyone who thinks different is just drinking the Kobe KoolAid. Kobe has what he wants. He's the man. Just don't ask him how it feels right now.

I was only slightly surprised how easily the Spurs got past Denver. I swear, Allen Iverson is the hardest working player without a ring. I'll always root for A.I. Here's hoping he gets a real coach next year. Does anyone doubt, for example, that recently departed Indiana coach Rick Carlisle could make Denver tougher? He can be a real hard-ass and his shit gets old fast, but the guy can freaking coach and frankly, that cast of characters could use an ass-kicker to whip them into shape. I felt bad for 'Melo, how hard he took the loss, but I'm thinking that can only be a good thing if he tucks it in a safe place for next year. All great players suffered major early disappointment on their way to great things (except Kobe - he's doing it in reverse).

The big question for the Nuggets is if Kenyon Martin will ever play another minute for them and when he does if he'll be even a shadow of his old self. If he could come back and play half the way he did before all those injuries (he's missed all or most of two seasons), Denver's frontcourt suddenly looks formidable.

Perhaps I'm burying the lead but I was floored at reading this article in Wednesday's editions of the New York Times. The piece, "Study of NBA Sees Racial Bias in Calling Fouls," reported on a study done by a University of Pennsylvania professor and a Cornell University graduate student that suggested a subconscious bias by NBA referees, where white refs called fouls at a greater rate against black players than against white ones.

My first instinct is no shit Sherlock, since most of the players in the NBA are black and the majority of refs are white (though there are more black NBA refs than ever). But the study's authors were fairly thorough in their analysis, according to the Times, which hired three experts to check the findings. The basis of results, according to these experts, is that most people when forced to make snap decisions are likely to make them based on subconscious bias. NBA refs, apparently, are not immune to this instinctual cultural behavior.

The study, which you can read (and I think download as a .pdf) here, is the fourth most popular email on the Times website and it's being talked about all over the sports world. The response has been mixed though what's even more curious is the rapid reaction by the NBA itself. Upon hearing about the study (before it was even published), NBA commish David Stern sponsored an internal review and apparently did not reach the same conclusion as this study. Wow, go figure.

I guess I buy the whole subconscious prejudice thing in general -- based on my experience growing up in this place called America. But in gabbing with a few of my former sportswriting colleagues and a couple of NBA insiders today, it seems few around the league think the findings are valid -- even the players.

Many are making the same point that former player and GM Kiki Vandeweghe made today in an interview I saw on ESPN when he argued that the flaw was in how the authors gathered their data. For the 13 seasons they went back to examine, almost all the data was garnered from box scores, which only include the names of the referees assigned to that game. No where in the black and white of those stats is any indication which ref called what foul on who (or is it whom). I think this is a good point. Do I think this means that there's no racial bias? Well, duh, of course there is. But I bet the real bias is refs calling fewer fouls on the league's bigger stars and more for them. Now that's a study I'd like to see.

Can't Stand the Heat

Remains of the Day, Healdsburg, April 2007
After an unintended absence, I'm back, one week into the NBA playoffs and one month into the basketball season. Lots to talk about and I won't get to it all today but get ready for a series of posts in S.O.L.'s frenzied attempt to make up for the last couple of weeks of silence.

As I write this, the most interesting NBA playoff series is probably reaching halftime of game three. Since I'm Tivo-ing that game (Dallas vs. Golden State), I will write about the results tomorrow. I picked Dallas before the series, however, and I still think they'll pull it out. But more on that Monday.

D-Wade, Shaq and the Heat have left the building in rather inglorious fashion. I hate to blame stuff on injury but Wade did not look like his old self and I suspect his injuries (shoulder and knee) are bothering him more than he admits. The guy almost always plays with a smile on his face, not the grimace that was planted there throughout the series. He's a warrior and for my money, the best clutch guy in the league and an early exit might be the best thing for him. At least he'll get to rest.

I told anyone who would listen that I liked the Bulls to make a run this year -- and that was before the season started, back when they signed Ben Wallace. I'm not sure they have enough defensive ability (outside of Big Ben) and they can go for long stretches without scoring, but it will be interesting to watch them after they swept the suddenly old-looking Heat out of the playoffs. One thing is Shaq looked mad at the end of the game. That has to be a good thing. I hope Grant Hill doesn't retire and ends up signing with the Heat. I think Shaq, Riley and Company have one more run in them and Hill would make it interesting.

Back to the Bulls who now must play the resurgent Pistons. Big Ben going against his old pals and the team he believes snubbed him by not offering a big enough contract in the off-season. This is sort of a youth vs. experience series though Deetroit ain't that old. I think it's anybody's series but if you hold a gun to my head, I'll say Pistons in six.

So far, though, that's the only second-round series already set. New Jersey and Phoenix both have 3-1 leads in their series and Cleveland is up over the decimated Wizards three games to none.

San Antonio is up 2-1 in an entertaining pick-up series against Denver, another young coast-to-coast team. The Nuggets are proving that two shooting stars can co-exist in the same line-up though the Spurs are showing that old school has its advantages. San Antonio has a huge advantage on the sidelines, though. Greg Poppovich has a much bigger brain than George Karl, another NBA re-tread that for some reason has half the league convinced he can actually coach.

And then there's Kobe and the Lakers. The Suns rushed off to a 2-0 lead by pretty much crushing the Lakers at home in Phoenix but the Lakers came back to win a tough game three at home. Suddenly the basketball world was calling it a series. Well, not after today. Steve Nash led the Suns from the start and even though the game was close at the half, it felt like a Suns pace which is deadly to the slow-footed Lakers. When Kobe started chucking up shots in the middle of the second quarter S.O.L. knew the Lakers had no chance.

Nash finished one short of tying the all-time playoff record of assists in a game and finished with 23 dimes. His 15 at intermission set a record for a first half.

I think the Suns are far too talented to lose a seven-game series to the Lakers but they have had trouble holding big leads and they've been known to suffer defensive let downs. On Sunday, the Lakers' coach had a good game plan and they were executing well. Kobe's teammates were all contributing and getting their touches which is just what the Suns were afraid of -- a balanced attack. But then Kobe started shooting and forced a couple of shots and the next thing you know, his teammates are standing around again waiting for him to do something.

Later in the third quarter, even when the Black Hole passed the rock, his teammates didn't convert. What did he expect? They'd gotten so cold in between touches, they would have been warm in a meat locker. For the third time in the series, Kobe was a non-factor in the second half. This is the guy touted as the greatest player in the game today? To quote a fellow friend and blogger, Buuullllshiiit!

Now the Suns have a 3-1 lead and head home to Phoenix where they should settle the score.

Tomorrow: Trouble in Big D???