Wade Reminds LeBron Who is Leader

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

Dwyane Wade is averaging 29 points, 8.7 rebounds & 5 assist with LeBron James averaging 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds & 6 assist throughout the 3 games of the NBA Finals.  With the game on the line LeBron passed the ball to Mario Chalmers only for him to lose control & turn the ball over.  Immediately, Wade got LeBron’s attention by giving him a shove or 2 & getting in his face reminding him that he’s won a championship before, mainly giving LeBron direction.  LeBron didn’t have that in Cleveland with the Cavs, he didn’t have someone as equally as talented as him getting in his face in the 2007 Finals against the San Antonio Spurs in which they were swept.  Let’s not forget that Dwyane Wade is actually the older of the two superstars 2 years, 11 months & 13 days older to be exact.  Along with having more experience in the Finals he also is like the older brother.  Wade being seemingly more laid-back of an idividual maintained his teams focus by continuously attacking the paint, avoiding long low quality shots like they took  late in Game 2.  Wade said “he led by example” keeping the focus on Coach Erik Spoelstra’s emphasis that taking 30 three-pointers is NOT at all the Heats identity.   The Heat reduced the 3-point attempts by ll shots hitting 8 of 19 in Game 3 instead of  going 9 of 30 as they did in Game 2.

Miami was playing like a desperate team with Mario Chalmers who has been an unsung hero in the Finals series, averaging 11 points a game while hitting shots when they matter.  He kept the Heat in the game hitting 4 major 3 point shots & keeping the Dallas crowd calm letting Dwyane Wade operate with the momentum staying equal between the teams throughout the game. 

“Actions speak louder than words,” cliche but in Game 3 it was a proven fact with the leaders of their respective teams stepping up & taking the reigns.   Late in the 4th Qtr. it was a 1-on-1 matchup between Dirk Nowitzki & Dwyane Wade answering each others call & trading baskets.  Dirk tied the game 84-84 with 3 minutes left in the 4th with a back door cut & slam set up by Jason Kidd capping another Mavs 4th Qtr. comeback.  At that point it began to become reminiscent of Game 2 giving the Miami Heat fans the thought of “here we go” like Bud Light but in a negative way.   Wade knowing that it was his time to perform came back down court & crossed up Kidd, pulled up & drained a 17 footer putting the Heat back in the lead 86-84.  Dirk with the “my turn” mentality took Udonis Haslem of the dribble with his bad left hand & rose up with his patented one leg jumpshot & buried it tying the game once again 86-86 with 1:40 to play in the game.  He had the “eye of the tiger” as he strolled back towards his bench with confidence after scoring the Mavs last 12 points.  With 39.6 seconds remaining in this crucial game tied at 86 LeBron had a decision to make, take it himself or find a teammate.  The seemingly timid little sibling of the Big 3 as in Chris Bosh with a swolen left eye suffered after being poked by Jason Kidd early in the game was LeBron’s choice.  Bosh had a rough night going 6 of 17 from the field up to this point.  He who also needed some strong words of encouragement & criticism after passing up on a shot that he normally takes minutes before, received a niffty behind the back pass, focused with his one good eye & silenced the crowd with a clutch shot from the left wing.  Putting the Heat in the lead 88-86 & left Dallas with a chance to take the last shot.

Everyone watching the game knew who’s hands the ball was going to end up in.  4.4 seconds left on the clock & Rick Carlisle drew up an inbound play placing Dirk at the top of the key where he does some of his finest work.  Jason Kidd the oldest point guard to start in the NBA Finals was the distributor with a perfect pass to Dirk with Haslem checking him, Dirk spun left, got a good look & faded back off his one leg & time seemed to slow down as he released with Haslem nearly fouling him.  The ball rotated ever so slowly going towards the rim &…. (wait on it) CLANK!!!  A shot that he has mastered throughout his career did not fall in this timely instance.  The Heat take the series lead 2-1 winning Game 3 88-86 with 2 upcoming games in Dallas.


Jason Terry is physically on the court but mentally elsewhere, Dirk still is the only consitant force on the Mavs team.  LeBron James is shutting Terry down with his quickness & athleticism.  What LeBron is not doing on the offensive side he makes up for defensively.   Dirk is averaging 28.3 points a game while his Snipers (Kidd, Terry, Peja) who are apparently out of bullets are averaging together only 23 points a game during the Finals.  The only player stepping up & contributing is Shawn Marion who has found his youth averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds & 3.3 assist, however he struggled in Game 3 going 4 of 12 from the field scoring only 10 points.  J.J. Barea has been abscent as far as production scoring 6 points on 2 of 8 shooting along with 4 turnovers not helping when he’s replacing Jason Kidd when he goes to the bench.  Dirk needs help & he’s not getting it like he did in the Western Conference Finals against OKC Thunder.  Dallas won’t win this series as a one man team going up against the Heat who we thought was a team with just 2 great superstars.  Now they are getting contributions from everybody, even Mike Bibby who is 5 of 11 from 3-point land in the last 2 games.  The Heat are gelling their styles together at a perfect time, in the Finals.  Mario Chalmers becoming a force from behind the arch & Udonis Haslem coming in & playing stellar defense on Dirk down the stretch when Erik Spoelstra assigns him to.


Since the 2-3-2 format was placed in 1985 when the series is tied 1 to 1, the team who wins Game 3 has gone on to win the series 11 times.  Will that hold true again in this physical battle filled with superstars?
Something to watch for, Dirk looked like he was irritated by an issue with his shooting hand midway through the game, wasn’t a factor down the stretch but may play a part if it tightens up before Game 4.


Game 4 in Dallas on ABC Tuesday, June 7th 9pm ET


It is what it is…

I speak for the fans; why we think lockouts are outrageous

Also at http://sportsemerge.com/
Dave Pruitt

Growing up under the guidance of my Father, a Vietnam Vet; along side my bestfriend, my influence, my brother, who currently serves in our great Air Force & has since 1995, proudly… I have learned about WHAT MATTERS.
With July 4th approaching, I thought I would take my opprotunity to THANK all the people serving our GREAT COUNTRY made great by their duty.  Without them there will be no NFL or NBA, nor anything that a  regular persons considers valuable.  I say regular person in regards to versus the extraordinary person who faces the possibility of death regularly.

With my brother scheduled to go to some area in Afghanistan I began to analyze my own life.  I noticed, I am able to FREELY pursue my goals due to what my brother & others serving in the armed forces are experiencing on a daily basis.  Immediately after that thought, I also realizeded that everybody living in the United States owes the Soldiers the same respect.
As close as I’ve come to what a soldier could experience was via my Play Station 3.  Using the NETFLIX ap, I watched a movie (documentary) titled “Restrepo” about soldiers serving in Afghanistan & their extreme conditions faced which I will not cover in full detail.  Reality TV which truly described the meaning of reality.  The truth of what our US soldiers feel living amongst a constent threat.  The soldiers curiousity of whether or not they would be alive the next day.  This is the same place my brother is going.
Back home what is the issue?  Whether or not the overwhelming amount of money the NFL, NBA, & Dodgers is making or not making sufficient enough for whomever.

I promised myself that I would not even touch the issue of the NFL & NBA lockouts because I thought it was ridiculous & outrageous.  I thought it was an insult to the fans, to the people that go to work everyday not REALLY wanting to.
How is it that fans manage a way to watch their favorite team no matter the cost of a ticket, a cable or satellite bill with the intentions of focusing on something other than their problems?
How does a soldier go in to a battle zone knowing his job is a million times harder than the regular civilian football & basketball owners & players arguing over millions & billions of dollars?
How does a fan that has never experienced a lockout perceive the greed of people doing what they LOVE to do & then asking for more?  When they perform jobs & earn the money which in turn is what makes it possible for the millionaires & billionaires to keep adding to their bank accounts?
Think about it…
The GREED displayed by the organiztions, owners & players is not worth the time of the fan.
Your fans include Soldiers that are paid significantly less than a NFL, NBA or anything else which is considered to be a fun JOB.
Players, your TALENT is NOT AT ALL worth a soldiers life nor is an  Owners billions of dollars.
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!
I COULDN”T SPEND A MILLION IN 10 YEARS & why would I if there is people like my brother doing their job NOT FOR THE MONEY?
Money, cars, houses, jewelry, & what you wear; is it really what every NON-SOLDIER is concerned about & every real SOLDIER giving up their life for?
Billions & millions compared to LIFE, what’s your values?
The SOLDIERS are entitled & deserve every dollar that OWNERS & PLAYERS make in the NFL & NBA…
It is what it is…

LeSean McCoy: Hiding behind Twitter

Also at Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

Are you serious?  You can’t be, did you really just type what I think you typed?  “Oh no you didn’t….”  What you type about my “Mama’?” 
Insults via Twitter are becoming a more common place.  People usually of the younger generation has taken it upon themselves to use Twitter to express their frustrations with their adversarys.  I began noticing this phenomenon with these young immature rappers exchanging their “Thug Talk” using the social media as a vehicle.  I think it’s hilarious…
LeSean McCoy, the running back of the Philadelphia Eagles decided to air out his opinion while hiding behind Twitter about Osi Umenyiora.  According to McCoy, Osi is soft & the 3rd best defensive lineman on the New York Giants.  This all coming after Osi tweeted out some info about his personal financial situation with the Giants.  Basically,  McCoy’s tweet had nothing to do with nothing other than his anomosity toward’s Osi.
As Ochocinco would say, “Child Please…” 
Osi responded saying, “I mean, he’s a girl, man. Who does stuff like that?” Osi said, reported by Mike Garafolo, The Star Ledger. “If he has more of these things to say, he can say ‘em to my face.  Don’t be no Twitter gangster man.”
Twitter gangster, WOW!  I’m not that far removed from LeSean McCoy’s generation but back in  my day, issues were resolved face to face.  When there is beef, you man up; you don’t talk mess via the internet, atleast I didn’t & never will.
With their respective teams being hated rivals it is apparent that the issue was born between the hash marks.
“Yeah, me and him, we had words on the field — both times we played. I hate him, he hates me, period,” Osi said.
Hate is a strong word, so this anomosity is more than real.  Osi explained that there is a lot of hatred between the teams, more so last season but it was an on field war.  Now McCoy has went a step further.
“He chose to take that off the field and make it public when it’s something that’s between me and him,” Osi said.  ”It’s something we can address on the football field. He let the whole world know about it, so I’m going to respond.”
Osi’s teammate’s has his back, in particular WR Steve Smith who tweeted in response to the McCoy’s Twitter claims.
“The nerve of certain youngins running their mouth. Please don’t forget.”  With the tweet came a picture of Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin in jubilation after their Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots.  There was another photo next to it of a empty Eagles trophy case.
I think Steve Smith wins the Twitter wars.  LeSean McCoy may be writing a “Check his ass can’t cash.”  McCoy realizes he has to see the Giants 2 times a year, & he has to run the ball against Osi & his teammates.  He better hope that his offensive line protects him; on the field & not on Twitter.
Justin Tuck one of the other defensive lineman for the Giants that McCoy has to deal with added his theory on the Mike & Mike morning.  “I honestly think social media has made people cowards, where I’m from, if you have a problem with somebody you say it to their face.”  He continued, “People are hiding behind computers & smart phones.”
Poor kid…  Good luck LeSean, I think you just made it very hard for yourself.
It is what it is…

Who wants to get involved in the Brady vs. Manning debate?

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

Peyton Williams Manning & Thomas Edward Patrick “Tom” Brady Jr. are the 2 most valuable Quarterbacks over the last decade; in the world.  One, the 1st overall pick & the other 199th pick in their respective NFL drafts.  Both are the face of their franchise, both bear the dignity of their cities & their fans.  Both demonstrate impeccable leadership under the most extreme game situations, often securing a victory when it’s finished.
They have both won Superbowls with 2 of the most heralded coaches to ever coach the game.  Bill Belichick, the mastermind behind the dynasty that has been built in New England & Tony Dungy the former Colts coach, a mentor to many & the 1st African-American head coach to win the Superbowl.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots can be considered as Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts arch nemesis, that were actually friends & may still be, but I doubt it.  Brady & the Patriots used to be the reason Manning wasn’t seen as he is today.  Brady was Mannings hump that he could not get over.
They were Manning’s “kryptonite” through 2003-2005  beating him 4 times over a period of 15 months ultimately leading to consecutive Superbowl victories.  Eventually Manning paid back the favor in the 2006-2007 season after they met in the AFC Championship game when the Patriots jumped ahead 21-3 before Manning came back the 2nd half scoring 32 points to rip the win away.  Manning went on to win his 1st Superbowl against Lovie Smith’s Chicago Bears.
Brady accomplished 100 career victories expeditiously.  Quicker than any quarterback ever with Manning being the 5th fastest.  Brady has the highest winning percentage of all other QB’s with 100 or more wins which includes the regular season & playoffs at .776 (125-36).  The closest winnig percentage at .711 (133-54) by Joe Montana.
Brady & Manning top the list of greatest seasons by a QB, Brady being 1 & Manning being 2 with some familiar names behind them.  The following: Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, Steve Young, Randall Cunningham, Drew Brees, Brett Favre & last but not least Joe Montana.  Tom Brady falls on this list twice at #1 &#6.
Measured by conventional metrics (passing yards, touchdowns/interceptions, yards per attempt, QB rating and wins):
1. 2007  Tom Brady (16 G): 4,806 yards, 50 TDs, 8 INTs, 9.4 YPA, 117.2 rating, 16 wins.
2. 2004 Peyton Manning (16 G): 4,557 yards, 49 TDs, 10 INTs, 9.2 YPA, 121.1 rating, 12 wins.
3. 1984 Marino (16 G): 5,084 yards, 48 TDs, 17 INTs, 9.0 YPA, 108.9 rating, 14 wins.
4. 1999 Warner (16 G): 4,830 yards, 41 TDs, 13 INTs, 8.7 YPA, 109.2 rating, 13 wins.
5. 1994 Young (15 G): 3,969 yards, 35 TDs, 10 INTs, 8.6 YPA, 112.8 rating, 13 wins.
6. 2010 Brady (16 G): 3,900 yards, 36 TDs, 4 INTs, 7.9 YPA, 111.0 rating, 14 wins.
7. 1998 Cunningham (14 G): 3,704 yards, 34 TDs, 10 INTs, 106.0 rating, 13 wins.
8. 2009 Brees (15 G): 4,388 yards, 34 TDs, 11 INTs, 8.5 YPA, 109.6 rating, 13 wins.
9. 2009 Favre (16 G): 4,202 yards, 33 TDs, 7 INTs, 7.9 YPA, 107.2 rating, 12 wins.
10. 1989 Montana (13 G): 3,521 yards, 26 TDs, 8 INTs, 9.1 YPA, 112.4 rating, 11 wins.
Manning known as the field general, some times makes the viewer question whether or not he even needs a head coach.  Williams should not be his middle name; it should be Audible due to his great ability to recognize a defense & change his original play call to exploit the opposing defense with regularity.
Derrick Mason of the Baltimore Ravens seems to think that Manning is the better of the 2 QBs looking how the teams would perform without their super star QB in the lineup.
Mason spoke on a Baltimore radio station stating, “What player do I take off the team that would change that team dramatically, I only know one player & that’s Peyton Manning; you take Tom Brady off New England they showed they can go 11-5.”  Skeptically he continued, “Now… You take Peyton Manning of the the Colts?  I don’t know where that team goes offensively.”
I was always the kind of guy who believed in the “Stats Don’t Lie” theory.  When comparing the stats that should end all judgement you look at playoff victories, amount of MVP awards, Pro Bowl selections, Superbowl MVPs & ultimately Superbowl victories.
With both Brady & Manning playing in 19 playoff games, Brady has a definite lead with a record of 14-5 & Manning with a record of 9-10.  Brady has 2 NFL MVP awards while Manning has 4.  I don’t see how this is possible but Brady has only 6 Pro Bowl selections to Manning’s 11.  Maybe, because Manning is a more likeable guy, I mean he really is, I’m just sayin’…  Brady has 2 Superbowl MVPs to Manning’s 1.
With all that considered what puts the icing on the cake is their record in Superbowl wins & losses.  Brady is 3-1 with his loss ironically coming in a near perfect season after going 18-0 & losing to Peyton’s brother Eli.  Talk about little brother’s revenge, manufacturing a drive involving an incredible hand & helmet catch by David Tyree with the game ending touchdown by Plaxico Burress.  Noticing the  3 degrees of seperation…  To top it all off Peyton & the Colts won the Superbowl the year before after beating Brady.
We all can say the Colts without Manning is nothing & the Patriots can get it done without Brady, going to the playoffs with Matt Cassel.  With that in mind, we can’t dismiss that  Brady has won Superbowls with John Doe receivers, David Givens & Deion Branch are nearly forgotten after leaving Brady’s leadership.  Brady revived Randy Moss’ career & made a beast out of Wes Welker.
Peyton Manning has had some some decent talent, we all know a guy by the name of Marvin Harrison & not because of the shooting.  There was also Edgerrin James & now there is Reggie Wayne & Dallas Clark.
You could possibly add in that Manning plays his home games in a dome compared to Brady plays his home games outside in the Boston area where it likes to snow.
As much as I personally like Peyton, I almost hate to say this but as a journalist you “gotta’ ” state the facts, & the fact of the matter is Brady earned 3 Superbowl rings & Manning has only 1.
So I’ll leave the debate up to you.
It is what it is…

During the NFL lock out, Chad plans to wrestle alligators

Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnatti Bengals had 813 receiving yards & 4 toucdowns last season, not very impressive for a WR who was once known as one of the best.  He is a well known public figure seemingly more so than a Professional Football Player.  Known for his antics in the NFL on & off the field from dancing in the endzone to a reality TV show, to trying out for a soccer team & now performing incredile acts of bravery or just completely INSANE attempts for attention.
I’ve enjoyed watching Ochocinco over the years; whoever can make me laugh I normally don’t have a problem with.  However, lately Ochocinco has caused a bit of concern about his extra curricular activities during the NFL lock out.  Some of the other players has done some questionable things during the offseason but Ochocinco’s latest venture exceeds all expectations & not in a positive way.  I believe this is his way of showing spite for the NFL.
First he tried out for a MLS soccer team followed by Professional Bull Riding where he came close to being on one of those “When Diasaster Strikes” episodes with the bull nearly trampling his head.
NFL Network aired a recent interview with Chad in Cincinnatti where he told the viewers his future endeavors.
Referring to a statement made by his coach Mike Brown, he said, “Mike Brown said ‘What’s he going to do next wrangle snakes?’ So I just one upped him.”  Speaking quickly, “I’m going to go wrestle ALLIGATORS…”
Finding his response hilarious, the person conducting the interview slightly interrupted with a chuckle & was quickly corrected by Ochocinco.
He said, “Don’t laugh, like; I’m SERIOUS …”  He continued.  “It’s pretty dangerous, I can lose an arm, lose a leg, but so is bull riding.  The chance of me getting hurt on the bull is similar to anyone of us winning the lottery, it’s slim to none.”  Assuring his fans, “and the samething with the alligator, if he bites me I can still play with one arm, I can kick, I can kick; seriously.” 
You may have a point Chad but there is a better chance of me not being trampled by bull hooves or eaten by an alligator walking up to a counter to buy a lottery ticket.
That’s like me going in to a dark alley & just standing there; trying my chances of getting mugged, beaten & robbed.  I stand there long enough it’ll happen.
If Chad Ochocinco keeps seeking this type of attention he eventually will be laid up in a hospital somewhere, with everybody thinking, “I told you so…”
Dear NFL,
Bring back football before Ochocinco kills himself.
P.S. Pretty please
It is what it is…

Reggie Wayne’s lock out offseason & response to teammates injuries

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/
Reggie Wayne used to be Peyton Manning’s other receiver; his number 2 behind Marvin “I got a Gun” Harrison.  No longer.  Reggie Wayne has come through the lingering shadow of Marvin with exceptional grace.
Peyton Manning is known to make receivers as Tom Brady is known to do in New England.  Reggie Wayne performed his talent silently behind the highlight of the Manning & Harrison connection.  Wayne drafted in 2001 by the Indianapolis Colts became number 1 to Manning  after Marvin Harrison asked for and was granted his release.  Ensuing a gun issue Harrison’s name was involved in… & I rather not go in to.
As did his former teammate at the U (University of Miami) Ed Reed; Reggie Wayne met with ESPN’s Ed Werder for a chat.
Wayne explained to Werder how his offseason has been since the lock out.  “It’s been the same for me, been working out at the University of Miami.”
Jokingly, “Only show up to mandatory stuff; right now everybody is on my program.  Now everybody gots to be their own judge… So easy to say ‘I’m not gonna’ work out today’ & miss a workout; compared to when you have to be at your facility workout at 9, or whatever the case may be & get fined.“
Ed Werder wanted to know how Wayne felt about working out at his home facility in the U  & how it was different.
Wayne, expressing his comradery. “We all wanna’ see each other succeed.  We all wanna’ do good, & we always pump each other up.”  He continued, “the workouts, it is  just what it is.  A University of Miami workout; it’s tough out there in the heat, ILOVE IT, I’ve been doing it for 11 years.”
With a cliche, “If it’s not BROKE don’t try & FIX it…”
Wayne was questioned about his quarterback Peyton Manning’s surgeries on his neck and responded differently to the same question Werder asked Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens.
Related Article:

Ed Reed: A man with his priorities straight

Wayne responded, “I felt like he’ll be alright, I’m sure He can handle it… He’s been through the procedure once already, I’m sure he has the right guys behind him; therapy wise, that can get him READY TO GO.” 
Over my years of watching Peyton play, everybody knows he is ready despite having only 1 Superbowl ring; he & Marvin Harrison managed to beat out Steve Young & Jerry Rice’s record of greatest touchdown tandems.
Now, Peyton has another legitimate tandem evolving infront of the NFL fans’ eyes.  Over the 7 years Reggie Wayne played along side Harrison he averaged 997.7 yards, 70.6 receptions & 6.7 touchdowns a season.  The 2 years without Harrison & with a core of new young receivers he’s averaged 1309.5 yards, 105.5 receptions & 8 touchdowns.
Reggie Wayne is now surely the number 1 receiver in Indianapolis with a great tight end in Dallas Clark who Ed Werder referenced in the interview in regards to the injuries that plagued the Colts last season.
“When we lost Dallas (Clark), that was tough.  (Austin) Collie concussion situations, was tough.  It just meant everyone else had to step it up a lil’ bit more.”
Austin Collie suffered a couple of nasty concussions during the 2010-2011 season, the season of  HEAD SHOTS.  Wayne was asked about his concern of the Collie concussions.
Wayne with compassion, “Once you get one, it’s always easy to get another…  I just hope it doesn’t shut him down earlier than he anticipated.”
He continued, “It’s tough to see a young guy (get hurt like that) who has all the potential in the world… Hopefully he can put all that stuff behind & get movin’ from it.”
Werder asked if Wayne would keep playing after the severity of the concussions suffered by Austin Collie, similar to the question he asked Ed Reed about Peyton Manning’s neck surgeries. 
Wayne responded, “I’ve been doing this since I was 7 yrs old, man.  Ya’ know, this is my bread & my meat; this is what I do.”
He finished, “I would keep going, as long as I could understand what is going on & I know all my kids names.”
The perspectives of the all the individuals playing in the NFL differ, we tend to forget they’re human too.  They have their priorities & values as well.
Ed Reed of the Ravens & Reggie Wayne of the Colts both attended the University of Miami, but both played different positions, one defense, one offense.  Reed drafted in ’02 & Wayne in ’01 also have different perspectives on the injuries that are almost sure to occur throughout a NFL players career.  However, they are both great contributors to the game of football.
I conclude with “END THE DAMN LOCK OUT!”
Interview held by Ed Werder at ESPN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjEwunFq-VI
It is what it is…

Tiki Barber wants back in the NFL at the age of 36… Say What?

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/
Tiki Barber was once a force coming out of the back field for the New York Giants as a primetime NFL running back.  He walked away from the game because the lack of passion at the end of the 2006 NFL postseason as the New York Giants’ all-time rushing and reception leader.  He was 31 and he retired?
I’m 30 & I feel like I’m just now starting, I’m in my prime baby!
This isn’t about me but Barber left the game to chase his dream to become a correspondent for NBC’s The Today Show and Football Night in America/Sunday Night Football.
When I heard he was leaving to do broadcasting I thought, “hell, if you say so.” 
But when I saw his first broadcast I thought, “he’s horrible… He ain’t gonna’ make it.”
Sure enough he disappeared from our TV screens until he spoke to Armen Keteyian on HBO’s Real Sports about his return to the NFL.  Returning after sitting out 4 years & at the age of 36, a feat that no running back has ever accomplished.
So what… On March 8, 2011, Barber filed papers with the NFL to come out of retirement.
Barber started, “I need to prove to myself that I can be successful at something.  I know I’m going to be successful at something.”
Something skeptics thinks will not turn out well, Mark Schlerith on ESPN’s NFL Live comparing Barber’s return to Plaxico Burress’, “but Tiki Barber been away for 4 years, Man.  I can’t imagine coming back after 4 years & getting hit by people.”
He expressed seemingly concerned for Tiki, “the running back postion, let’s face it even if you touch the ball 10 times a game, guess what.  You’re getting hit 10 times a game by 10 guys at once.”
Schlerith continued, “I mean it’s one of those positions that beats you down… and you know he may make it for a while but it’s going to beat you up.”
My sentiments exactly, being that the running back position is the most short lived position in the NFL.  He left in the 1st place because he didn’t want to do it, after he gets hit a couple times I wonder if he’ll be reminded & just leave again.  Like in the middle of a game or something, get hit by someone like a Ray Lewis & peel himself of the gridiron & walk straight out the gate.
If he did…  That would be hilarious.
In the interview on HBO Real Sports Barber continued to explain his position, “The Game never needs you, because there is always someone else to come take your place, but right now I need the Game.”
Yeah Tiki, tell me about, doesn’t everybody? (End the lock out.)
Barber expressed how he felt when he was asked about the fans & him leaving.  “I felt like, (people) they were trying to dictate what I should do with my life.  ‘How dare you walk away from it.’”  Sternly, “I tell you how I dare, because I don’t want to do it anymore, I don’t have the passion to do it anymore & it rubbed people the wrong way.”
Your broadcast skills rubbed me the wrong way, you just wasn’t good, didn’t have the personality for TV.  I’m just sayin’… 
I don’t believe Tiki Barber will survive his second shot in the NFL.  This is the year of revive your career in the NFL with Barber joining Plaxico Burress & Donovan McNabb on their comeback journey.
Oh, McNabb didn’t go any where & according to him, he’ll prove it to the fans & journalist this upcoming season, he reffered to as “special.” We’ll see McNabb, I just don’t believe you’ve ever recovered from your T.O. experience.
I digress, let’s welcome Tiki Barber back with open arms into the NFL labor agreement.  I wish the old guy luck, hopefully much better luck than with his broadcasting career even he  feels was a “failure.”  Indeed.
It is what it is…

Steelers & Ravens can’t wait until end of lock out; Woodley waking a sleeping giant

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
When you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers recently, you also think of the Baltimore Ravens.  As of now there is no other rivalry in the NFL that could rub shoulders with this high intensity battle that has been broadcast across the nation on our wonderous football Sundays & Mondays.
Wiz Khalifa a well known hip-hop artist (if rap is your ‘cup of tea’), released a song named “Black & Yellow”, you may’ve heard it as it exploded on the scene during the 2010-2011 NFL season.  Had really nothing to do with the Steelers other than the colors of the orginization, it was more so a representation for the city of Pittsburgh.  However, it started a movement that brought the attention of the youth to football that the MADDEN NFL franchise hasn’t grasped already.
It brought in the younger, hipper crowd.  A category that LaMarr Woodley falls under, a category I would like to believe I still fall under.
The 26 year old Woodley, a Steelers outside linebacker believes that Joe Flacco quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens will never be capable of winning a Super Bowl, “in this lifetime” as Woodley declared.
Hines Ward, a Steelers wide receiver & someone who Danced with a Star or something like that, chose to hold the horses.  14 years in the league, I’m sure he knows when to bite his tongue, realizing how ugly it can get against the Ravens.  Hines appeared on NFL Network & addressed Woodley’s comments on Flacco’s futuristic inability to win a Superbowl.
He expressed, “I don’t disrespect the Baltimore Ravens,” speaking to the NFL Network panel. “LaMarr is LaMarr.”
Hines decided not to awake a sleeping giant. “They can win with Flacco.”
Hines understands Woodley & his teammates approach; displaying courage & confidence something they’ll need each time they snap in their chin straps against the Ravens.  But as a older veteran, Hines Ward has experienced enough on the gridiron to not give the revengeful Baltimore Ravens any more reason to abuse him during their heated match-ups.
John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Ravens responded to LaMarr Woodley’s statement, described as a “big fat piece of bulletin board material.” 
He said, “We don’t need any bulletin board material to get ready for those guys or anybody else, but we’ll be ready for LaMarr Woodley and the rest of that football team and they know it.”
Like anybody else, Woodley is just displaying his superiority after his team has been the wall that Joe Flacco & the Ravens CAN NOT get through.  In 2008, Flacco’s rookie season, he showed he was a NFL quarterback being the 1st rookie to win 2 playoff games.
Then he met the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 1st time in a AFC Championship where he went  13 of 30 in pass attempts for 141 yards, was sacked three times, and intercepted three times. Not pretty, but hell, he was a rookie; what you expect?
The following year Flacco & the Ravens appeared in the playoffs again in the 2009 season winning in the Wild Card round against Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, when Joe Flacco basically let RB Ray Rice carry the load.  Flacco completed only 4-10 for 34 yards and one interception but they still won.  Only to go see the other Hall of Fame bound quarterback Peyton Manning & his Colts to get blown out 20-3 in Indianapolis.  They didn’t play the Steelers in the playoffs that year because the Steelers didn’t reach the playoffs.
Last year Flacco was once again haunted by Woodley’s Steelers in the AFC Championship game giving the Steelers another shot at snatching a championship but they fell short to the current champs, the Green Bay Packers.
John Harbaugh believes his Ravens shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“We love LaMarr, we love what he says, especially when he says things like that. … We appreciate being underestimated, we do. If the Steelers choose to underestimate us, we appreciate that. We’ll show up right on time. Those buses will pull in [and] we’ll come walking into that locker room.
“[Woodley] knows that.”


The cliche, “get over the hump” wasn’t created for no reason.  It’s describing an achievement accomplished that was thought not possible by skeptics.
Once upon a time, Peyton Manning couldn’t get it down against his playoff rival in Tom Brady, Bill Belichik & the Patriots.  He eventually did.
Message to LaMarr Woodley from me: “Haven’t you learned anything from LeBron James?  Joe Flacco won’t win a Superbowl?  You sure, be careful what you ask for, he may, he may do it this season & he may go through your Steelers to do it.”

Wouldn’t that be a story.





 It is what it is...

Who would you take Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu? Pick your poison

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

One guy in “Black & Yellow” and another in “Black & Purple”, both representing their colors with tenacity, on field leadership & game changing plays that has stirred up a great debate.  Who would you take, Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens or Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers?
I take pride in covering this topic because I’d like to think I was a pretty good Safety in highschool as well.  However, I couldn’t come close to achieving what these heralded rivals have over the past decade.
Ed Reed & Troy Polamalu may have similarities & are both great at their positions but if you were to ask their peers who is the best between them, you’d get silence as displayed on NFL Networks “Top 100 NFL Players of 2011.”   A confused dumbfounded look across the face of many players, not knowing who they would pick.
Ed Reed described by T.O., ” He’s like offense on defense, this guy has to be accounted for.”
He is like a wide receiver that the quarterback doesn’t want to throw to.  With 54 career interceptions Reed is a definite threat looming in the backfield, baiting QBs to throw in his direction.  Ed Reed recently interviewed by Ed Werder at ESPN revealed that he has lightened up on hitting opposing players as hard as he used to when he entered te league out of the U (University of Miami, for those who don’t know.)
Reed becomes a returner everytime he gets the ball looking to score 6 often with laterals to his teammates.  The way he can see the field is uncanny.
Related Article:

Troy Polamalu, known for his abundance of long curly Polynesian hair & respected for his thrashing hard hits.  All you see is hair flying in your direction then you’re picking yourself up off the field.  I can’t imagine what it feels like, Polamalu delivers hits that make the viewer say, “DAMN!”
They play in the same Division, in a rivalry that some think has become the biggest in sports recently with the Ravens & Steelers meeting 8 times in the last 3 years.  Everytime they meet the fans leave the game astonished at the intensity of the battle they just witnessed.  Reed & Polamalu on normal occasion are at the helm of intense plays during the battle.
We now know that they are similar in how they perform on the field, but who is better at their craft?  Ed Reed drafted in 2002 & Troy Polamalu drafted in 2003, they are just seperated by a year of performance.
Reed has 54 interceptions in 128 games over his career with 8 of them coming last year in only 10 games due to injury.  Polamalu has never had 8 interceptions in 1 season & has only half the total of Reed with 27 interceptions in 107 games.  Reed has been to 7 Pro Bowls & Polamalu one shy with 6.  Reed was voted Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 & Polamalu received the same honor in 2010.
Warren Sapp of NFL Network argued admirably for Reed, he said, “You want your Safety to have his hands on the ball.  My man has twice the interceptions as your guy, (speaking to Ed Baldinger of NFL Network picking Polamalu) 3 times as many touchdowns, scoring after he gets his hands on it.”  Expressively he continued,”two more forced fumbles & 6 more fumble recoveries!”
Ed Boldinger responded fiercely, “It’s all about numbers for you?”  He continued, “your arguement is all about numbers, you can’t compare Safeties strictly on numbers.”  Boldinger highlighted the recent playoff games that the Steelers & Ravens had & the fact that Troy Polamalu was the game changer in both keeping the Ravens out of the Superbowl in the 2008 season with a big interception thrown by Joe Flacco & again in the 2010 season forcing Flacco to fumble.
Ed Boldinger reffered to his game changing ability as “the Polamalu effect” as he should because I witnessed both of those AFC Championship games & Polamalu was an absolute beast.  The numbers that Polamalu puts up may not compare closely to Ed Reed’s but he is beating Reed in the only category that truly matters & that’s Superbowl rings.  Regardless if Ed Reed was voted 88th out of the NFL Networks “Top 100 of All-Time” & Polamalu didn’t make the cut; Reed is missing the 2 rings Polamalu has in his possession.
Reed’s “partner in crime” who is feared by many on the gridiron, Ray Lewis is the only active Raven with a Superbowl ring & Reed’s chance has been stopped twice by the Head N’ Shoulders Safety of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers are 39-14 with Polamalu on the field & 9-9 without him present, he is a game changer.  Ed Reed probably the most feared by QBs because of is ability to snatch the ball from the QBs original target.  QBs fear Polamalu because of his ability to fly over the lineman & sack them with 8 sacks in his career.
The debate could go on & on, Polamalu’s teammate Hines Ward said, “Between those guys, I haven’t seen better Safeties around.”
If you were to ask Ed Reed I’m sure he would say he’s the best & the more humble Polamalu said, “I’m not concerned, I can care less.”
I can’t say who is best, I’ll just say they play different positions, Ed Reed is a Free Safety & Troy Polamalu is a Strong Safety so they are each the best at their respective positions.  I’ll leave it at that…
It is what it is…

Party On Mark Cuban, Mavs are Champs

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/
Prior to the Dallas Mavericks winning their 1st NBA Title, hoisting up the Larry O’Brien Trophy in victory, Coach Rick Carlisle addressed the media at the press conference.
He stated, “Miami’s time is going to come; their talent is undeniable.” Carlisle continued, “at some point it’s going to carry the day, there’s no doubt about that; there time is not now.” With great expression. “Our time is now.  We need it to be now.”
The Mavs Sunday night definitely proved they were the better team over an over confident Miami squad.  What people failed to realize is the Mavs & Heat played 8 times this season & after Sunday night the Mavs won 6 of those games with 4 coming in the right place at the right time, in the NBA Finals.
You would think somewhere along the line while LeBron James & Dwyane Wade were growing up they came across a Disney movie or 2.  In those movies there is always the story of Good versus Evil & Good always prevails over Evil.  However, Lebron & Wade chose to take on the role of the villains of the NBA with “The Decision” & the PUBLIC DISPLAY of COCKINESS during the introduction of the Big 3 in Miami American Airlines Arena.
LeBron has steadily dragged down Dwyane Wade to his level with his audaciousness.
Throughout this entire process I’ve tried to defend LeBron but now he has reached his all time low when he was asked to respond to everyone who wanted to see him lose.
He stated with a smirk on his face.   “At the end of the day, all the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today.  They have the same personal problems they had today.”
He continued. “They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point,” he added.
Wow, LeBron is really taking on this villainous role quite seriously, you really don’t want anybody to like you, he must be trying to take over for Bin Laden without all of the killing.
The role of the GOOD guys were given to the Mavs who were not only playing for Mark Cuban & the city of Dallas but for Cleveland Cavs fans & anybody who just HATED the grouping of  Wade, LeBron & Chris Bosh.
Enough about the losers.  Dirk Nowitzki has achieved one of his major goals in life after a long wait.  12 years in the NBA, once reffered to as being soft after losing in the 2006 NBA Finals to then a Dwyane Wade & Shaquille O’Neal ran Miami Heat.  Along with Jason Terry, Dirk gets his revenge, winning  in nearly the same fashion that they lost in ’06.
In 2006 the Mavs won the 1st two games in the Finals only to lose the next 4 games.  This year the Heat went up 2-1 in the series only to lose the next 3 ultimately losing to our new NBA Champs.
Dirk now removes himself from the company of John Stocton & Karl Malone as a superstar without a championship ring.  With  doing so he joined Kobe Bryant & Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson & Larry Bird,  as a superstar with a league MVP award & a NBA Finals MVP award & a championship ring.
Mark Cuban chose to stay out the spotlight this year & just let his Coach Rick Carlisle & his star Dirk Nowitzki lead the Mavs in a humbled fashion to a championship.
Jason Kidd is now validated as a champion after a wonderful growth in his career from being just a pure guard to a  pure point guard who could hit clutch 3-pointers, knocking down 2 in Sunday’s Game 6.  After 16 years in the league & once losing a title with the New Jersey Nets in 2003 versus the San Antonio Spurs losing in 6 games.
Jason Kidd got the monkey off his back, as did Jason Terry who accompanied Dirk Nowitzki in the 2006 NBA Finals lost.  In Terry’s revenge he averaged 19.7 points in the last 3 games the Mavs won.
Terry pointed out his tattoo on his right arm of the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the game in a on-court interview & said,”For someone to do something that crazy,” smiled & continued. “You have to back it up.”
And Terry did just that scoring 27 in the final game of the series on the Heat’s home floor, in front of the Heat crowd helping his leader, Dirk.  Who struggled through the 1st half missing shots he normally makes, it got to a point where Dirk had only hit 1 out of 12 shots but he later finished shooting 33% , 9 of 27 scoring 21 points.
It was an intense match-up over the course of the 6 games & it climaxed in this final game with a skirmish that broke out between DeShawn Stevenson (who initiated) & Udonis Haslem as he turned to walk back to his bench during a time out & was met face to face with Stevenson who then shoved Haslem.  That caused a reaction by Mario Chalmers who had just hit the shot that caused a Dallas time out, to run over & join the altercation by pushing & shoving Stevenson.  The players was given technical fouls & I believe that could have ruined the Heat’s chance at a momentum switch as the game was still close.
Either way you look at it the Dallas Mavericks were the classier team with much more to lose.  Dirk & his team were at the age where this may very well had been their last chance to win a Title, & they did.
A long summer of continous scrutiny for the Miami Heat.
And for the Mavs congratulations for becoming the 2011 NBA Champions!!!
Party on Mark Cuban, with your cigar & new found trophy!
It is what it is…

Playground Antics in the NBA Finals?

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

I guess I’ll play the antagonist of journalist in this drama filled NBA Finals on & off the court.  I’ll play the defense lawyer of LeBron James & Dwyane Wade since the rest of the world seemingly has convicted them of being a childish, ignorant, under achievers.  Aren’t their “childish, ignorant” antics different & actually less derogatory than Jason Terry’s?

What is mainly different is that LeBron &  Wade should know better.  Especially if they’re joking about a man that has ice water running in his veins (Dirk Nowitzki).


Reports or rumors, however you want to perceive it has risen to the surface recently of Jason Terry getting a little personal with LeBron during the games.  It is a rumor that a teammate of LeBron has recently said that Terry’s TRASH TALK during the games has affected LeBron’s performance.
Statements focused primarily on LeBron James’ family.  Jason Terry suspected of going as far as saying what he’s done with LeBron’s mother & how other players in the league has been involved with LeBron’s fiance & I’m sure it was quoted with much more vulgar content.


Terry is known to be a talker, Dirk said after Game 4, “he likes to hear himself talk.”


Referring to Terry’s statement about LeBron’s defense,” let’s see if he can do it for all 7 games.“
If  Terry’s talk is actually getting under LeBron’s skin then Terry has approached the Finals just as he should have.  He is apparently throwing LeBron’s game off along with all the media coverage that LeBron says he uses to FUEL his fire.


Message to LeBron from me.  “Hate to the bearer of bad news but the bad talk from Terry & bad press from the media is not working to your advantage, you are backing down instead of stepping up.  You are passing the ball as if you don’t want the spotlight on you while playing on the biggest stage in your young career.  You lose the series the way you have been losing it, you’re gonna’ have a rough career.”


There was “The Decision” which had me scratching my head, because I didn’t understand why a young player who really hasn’t accomplished anything in terms of a championship would display him self as so.  I let it go because I saw a man showcasing his confidence in his abilities.  That’s all the “The Decision” was, a showcase for LeBron to bring out to the world that he was going to the NBA Finals by joining the Heat.  Then I questioned the cockiness at the beginning of the season by LeBron when he spoke infront of a filled accepting American Airlines Arena in Miami, where he  literally claimed not 7,  8 championships in a joking fashion which has now been set in stone as LeBron’s futuristic legacy.


I stuck behind LeBron because he represented the “Me Against the World” attitude which I have always been quite fond of.  However, with the recent news release of the mocking of Dirk Nowitzki being sick, I draw the line.  That now shows a lack of confidence in LeBron & Dwyane Wade who joined in on these off court escapades, before Game 5 following Thursday’s shootaround.


Dirk Nowitzki watched the recording of LeBron & Wade coughing & apparently joking about Dirk’s sinus infection which caused his temperature to go up to 102 degrees in Game 4.


Dirk responded before Saturday’s practice at American Airlines Arena  by saying, “I just thought it was a little childish, a little ignorant.”
If this is the case, that LeBron & Wade did stoop as low as this then they deserved to lose Game 5.  It again is a display of their cockiness, like the Finals is a joke, like they can win it easily.  Dirk is taking this seriously & is the last person you want to ignite.


What is most shocking to me is Wade’s part in the foolishness.  Like he is looking up to LeBron & letting him take control of the wheel.


Wade responded to the allegations of his part in the Dirk mocking, “I actually did cough,” Wade continued. “And with the cameras being right there, we made a joke out of it because we knew you guys were going to blow it up. You did exactly what we knew.”


“We never said Dirk’s name. I think he’s not the only one in the world who can get sick or have a cough. We just had fun with the cameras being right in our face about the blowup of the incident, and it held to be true. You blew it up.”


It is what it is, LeBron & now Wade’s attention is focused elsewhere, being down 3-2 in the NBA Finals maybe it’s time to take the high road & not let Jason Terry’s antics influence how you respond to the media.
Joking about Dirk being sick before Game 5 definitely didn’t help, stooping to Jason Terry’s equally “childish” level just put the Heat in a whole with one chance not to lose.


James better show he gots some “balls” & quit joking, laughing, coughing & do what he knows he’s capable of doing, which I thought was be a star (a crown he has accepted) & show up in clutch situations.  2 points in the 4th of Game 5 REALLY? 


If Dallas wins the NBA Finals it’ll just seem like they weren’t suppose to.  It’ll look like the better team FOLDED.


And in response to Gregg Doyel’s (CBSSports.com National Columnist ) article, make sure you call out Jason Terry’s antics as well as LeBron’s & Wade’s.  Not just saying it’s okay to mock Terry or DeShawn Stevenson & not Dirk.


Gregg Doyel’s article @ CBS Sports http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/15223821/wade-lebron-excuse-for-mocking-dirk-worse-than-act-itself


It’s all “childish & ignorant” to me.


As for LeBron, someone who hasn’t proven anything in the championship arena & he’s playing with his chances (2nd time in the NBA Finals) & how he will be perceived amongsnt the greats. 


It is what it is…

Let It Rain, Mavs Drop Dimes

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

I knew there was no chance for the Heat to win when it started to rain in Dallas.  Not outside but in the building, the shots that were falling , “was like DAMN!“  Dirk Nowitzki’s rainbow 3 point shot looked like it went out the top of my T.V. screen.  I remember asking my wife, ”where the ball go?”  Then it fell into the basket….. I was stuck.

To say Dirk finally received help would be an under statement.  His teammates came knocking to answer the long awaited call.  Jason Terry, J.J. Barea & Jason Kidd closed the 4th Qtr. impressively Thursday in their last home game this series.  They took it upon themselves to put Dallas on their backs & take Mark Cuban & the city one step closer to it’s 1st NBA Championship.

Up to this point it has been Dirk carrying that burden, leading his team like a sheperd leads his sheep.  Prior to the games the Mavs lost Dirk has called on his teammates, mainly Jason Terry who had been medicore at best through the first 3 games.  Last night Terry showed his teammates, the Miami Heat, & the viewing audience exactly why he is in the NBA.  People that has not seen him play at his best got a taste of it Thursday in Game 5.

It is the 1st time there is a definite momentum switch in this series.  The only thing that the Miami Heat have going for them is that they’re are returning to South Beach to finish the series, win or lose.  The Heat are 9-1 at home in the playoffs with their only lost coming from the Dallas Mavs in Game 2.  Now it is the Mavs series to lose, the T-shirts & ball caps are being made as I type with Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA Finals Champions embroidered on the fronts.

Dirk had 29 points, 6 rebounds & went 10 of 10 from the foul line silently, it was expected of him.  However, what was not expected, given the history this NBA Finals was the contributions of Jason Terry, J.J. Barea & Jason Kidd.  They all showed up big in the 4th Qtr.  The quarter that this series has been focused around all 5 games with the Mavs making major comebacks in each game.  In the 4th Terry had 6 points, Barea had 6 & Kidd had 5; a production the Mavs has not received the entire Finals.


This game was reminiscent of the Mavs’ Game 4 against the Lakers where it seemed like they couldn’t miss a shot.  In that game the Mavs shot 20 of 32 from the 3 point line & Jason Terry went 9 out of 10.  In Thursday’s game versus the Heat the Mavs went 13 of 19 from the 3 point line with Terry going 3 of 5.  He was aggressive throughout the game & put the ball on the floor going attacking “LeBron’s feet” as he put it.  He finished the game shooting 8 of 12 with 21 points & 6 assist.

He has been the 4th Qtr. guy for the Mavs all of his career, in the press conference prior to the game, he said. “It’s my job,” referring to being aggressive in the 4th Qtr. he continued, “we’re not going to keep missing these open shots.”  He expressed that to his teammates after watching film of games 1 through 3 & they responded.

J.J. Barea hit 4 big 3 point shots going 4 of 5, Jason Kidd went 3 of 5,  DeShawn Stevenson 1 of 2 & even Brian Cardinal got in on the act hitting 1.  Of course Dirk had 1 also, but I’m focusing on the “WOW factor” of Game 5 with his teammates pulling out a game instead of him.

As far as the Heat go, they are not in the moment.  They beckon a home game, where they thrive.  The problem is they go home with only 1 chance.  They lose, they are done & Dirk holds up his 1st Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.  Pleasing all Cleveland Cavs fans, Mavs=Cavs, Dirk is playing for Dalls & Cleveland.  Hilarious.

So LeBron Game 6 is the biggest game in your life, not what you thought & didn’t show with Game 5.
I’m usely writing about the Heat but I’ll leave this game with saying this, a triple-double by LeBron means nothing in a loss & Dwyane Wade’s hip contusion injury did not decide the outcome of Game 5.
What determined the outcome of Game 5 was the Mavs wonderous shooting down the stretch & Heat’s suspect D.  Oh yeah, LeBron once again became ghostly in the 4th scoring only 2 points.  I could do that.

The story of the series is the lack of DEFENSE of the Miami Heat in the 4th Qtr. of every game even the ones the won.

My prediction ability is SUSPECT also, but atleast I admit it.  But what I did predict correctly at the beginning of the playoffs that it would be very EXCITING & that prediction still holds true as the Dallas Mavs take their momentum into South Beach Sunday night with a 3-2 lead.
Game 6 Sunday @ 8pm ET on ABC.
It is what it is…

LeBron’s Been Out For Lunch

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/
“Have you seen ‘Bron’?” …. “Tell me have you seen ‘Bron’?”  LeBron James has 9 total points in the 4th Qtr. of the last 4 GAMES!  Each Qtr. 12 minutes long, so 9 points in 48 minutes.  Is the stage to big for LeBron James?   Does the NBA Finals make “O’ Bron Bron” nervous?


If I can recall, the last time he was in the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavs in 2007 against the San Antonio Spurs he had a similar performance throughout the series which ended in a sweep.  If it wasn’t for having Dwyane Wade, LeBron would get swept in this series also.  LeBron just won his 1st Finals game this year with Game 1, literally the best performance he’s had against the Mavs this series, scoring 24 points & grabbing 9 rebounds.  Since then LeBron’s been out for lunch.


Dallas Mavericks A.K.A. “The Comeback Mavs” do it again in the 4th Qtr. the same Qtr. LeBron has become ghostly.  Dirk Nowitzki is now in many peoples eyes a top 10 or even top 5 players of all time.  Given his performance throughout the playoffs & in the the Finals I’m hard pressed  to agree.  He finally missed another free throw in Game 4 after 39 consecutive, that’s insane, he could shoot free throws in his sleep.


Honestly, I believe  the only reason Dirk missed a free throw was because his 101 degree to 102 degree temperature he had throughout the game.  He still finished 9 of 10 from the foul line & struggled from the field going 6 of 19 & finishing with only 21 points.  Dirk was asked in the press conference after the game to compare his flu performance to the great Michael Jordan’s flu performance back in 1997 against the Jazz where he scored 38 points.

Dirk responded, “Never thought about MJ’s performance but obviously I was way off.”  And Damn, so was I with my predictions.

I digress, Dirk didn’t have to carry all of the weight in Game 4 as he has the previous games.  Jason Terry called out LeBron before the game questioning his toughness.


He stated confidentally. “I’m welcoming the challenge,” he said. “We’re going to see if he can do it for seven games. That’s going to be the challenge. Right now, it’s Game 4. Can he do it again in Game 4? He wasn’t able to do it in Game 2. He did it in Games 1 and 3, so Game 4 is another opportunity.”
Was those statements what threw LeBron off in Game 4?  Was he to worried about stopping Jason Terry that he forgot he was an offensive threat also?  Apparently not because Jason Terry answered his personal challenge by scoring 17 with an unimpressive but necessary performance going 6 of 15.  Terry also got to the foul line shooting 4 of 6 being more offensively aggressive  but still lacking on the defensive side of the court.


Jason Terry outscored LeBron.  “Prince James” scored 8 POINTS, that’s it, that’s all…  It’s the NBA Finals, & LeBron has decided to stop being himself, he didn’t attack the basket seemingly at all in Game 4.  Chris Broussard of ESPN brought up a good point prior to the game stating that LeBron is deferring to not just Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh but he his passing up his shot to give the ball away to a Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller or Mario Chalmers.  It literally looks like he doesn’t want the ball.

I made an analogy in a previous writing covering this series prior to Game 2 where the Mavs made the magnificent 4th Qtr. comeback down 15 with 7 minutes left.

I said,”I seriously thought that ABC Network paid them off, but now that I think about it they can’t afford to fix the blurriness on HD broadcast, so.”

It’s the same scenario, a conspiracy theory if you will, that I’m not entertaining just stating.  The way the Miami Heat are losing really looks like they are giving the games away to stretch out the series.  In Game 2, literally giving up a 15 point lead by changing the way they’re were playing from attacking the basket to shooting deep low percentage shots with 7 minutes left in the 4th Qtr.  Why would any team do that?  Makes me wonder…

Same goes for LeBron, a man who can genuinely score whenever he feels like it, a man who hits full & half court shots in his leisure.  Completely shut himself down in the 4th Qtr. of a game that the Heat led 74 -65 with 10:11 left.   He was scoreless in the 4th Qtr.  Why would any great player just stop playing with the game on the line?  Makes me wonder…

Or is Shawn Marion in LeBron’s head with his intense defense, is LeBron backing down?  Didn’t ever think I’d say this but LeBron may have some confidence issues going up against Marion. I’m just sayin’…

I actually believe all the credit is due to the Mavs stellar defense played in the 4th Qtr. holding the entire Heat team to only 14 points.  The Mavs forced turnovers helping them make a 17-4 run & ultimately closing the game to tie the series 2-2.
Wade is holding up his end of the bargin, balling out of his mind with 32 points & 6 rebounds in Game 4.  Chris Bosh even has showed some confidence that he says “never went anywhere” in a half time interview, he produced 24 points & 6 rebounds.


Lunch break should be over for LeBron in Game 5; I expect him to attack the paint early but now will he try & do too much?  It’ll be up to Coach Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade & mainly LeBron to keep a balance with his points & assist. He had 8 points & 7 assist in Game 4, maybe it’s time for LeBron to be SELFISH.


The Mavs will have the ”if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it” mentality in Game 5.  I expect what I expect evry game from the Mavs, the ball to go through Dirk Nowitzki, forcing double teams & leaving shooters open at the arch.  The question is will his Snipers be on tonight, he’ll need similar production from Jason Terry now that Rick Carlisle has chose to go with Brian Cardinal who did absolutely nothing in Game 4 but did it better than Peja Stojakovic.


Game 5 Thursday June 9th @ 9pm ET on ABC.


It is what it is…

The Big AARP Announces His Retirement

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/


As only Shaquille O’Neal can announced his retirement in style as being as comedical is possible.


He retires his nicknames, even Superman as he held the conference at his mansion. He claims a new nickname as the Big AARP and states what he’ll miss from the game. Jokingly he says,” he will miss his free throws.”


Farewell big fella’, hope to see you on someone sports channel with all his hilarious antics.

An Amazing Comeback or Astonishing Meltdown

Dave Pruitt, Sports Emerge
http://sportsemerge.com/

Did I see what I thought I saw?  That was an amazing comeback put on display by the Dallas Mavericks or amazing how the Miami Heat had a complete & utter meltdown, depending on which team you’re a fan of.  It was impressive or disgusting, exciting or painful, it was ”WOW!”  or “WHAT THE HELL!”   But overall it was a historical game, biggest comeback in NBA Finals history since the ’92 Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls against Clyde Drexler’s Trail Blazers.

Surely the guys who claimed they could win not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5…( Wait on it,) not 6, not 7, blah, blah blah, championships; did NOT just give up a 15 point lead with 7 minutes left in the 4th?  The man owning that statement went 8 of 15 from the field, 2 of 7 from behind the arch & 2 of 4 from the foul line scoring a mere 20 pts.  “Prince James“, definitely not  King,  certainly didn’t dictate a winning outcome, didn’t  lead his team to victory, isn’t that what Kings do?


It literally looked like someone PAID the Heat to lose Game 2, just as a boxer would take a dive in the boxing ring.  It seemed like they want to play a full 7 game series for ratings or something.  I seriously thought that ABC Network paid them off, but now that I think about it they can’t afford to fix the blurriness on HD broadcast, so.   That’s how unbelievable it was though, to see the Big 3 & company have a complete mental lapse, literally stopped doing what they were doing the first 3 Qtrs. & 5 minutes of the 4th.  They stopped attacking the basket start taking 20 foot jumpers, gunning from the 3 point line like they were in a 3 point contest during All-Star weekend.


Dwyane Wade was balling out of control the entire 2nd & 3rd Qtrs. with the rest chipping in.  When Bibby start knocking down his 3 pointers I got a strange premonition, told my wife, “now that he’s finally hitting his 3′s, they’ll lose.”  I was joking around when I mentioned that midway through the 1st Qtr. but in hindsight, it’s now hard to describe & a little stange.  Cockiness is definitely something not to admire & it was luminating on the faces of the Heat players throughout the game until that expression turned into shock & concern when Dirk Nowitzki tied the game with his non-shooting hand, yep, the left hand everybody was talking about was apparently injured.  The Heat really thought they had it in the bag, like all they had to do was throw the ball at the basket & it’ll go in. Wade in the post game news conference was asked about them celebrating infront of the Mavs bench after he hit a big 3 & he replied “there was no confetti, no champagne, we wasn’t celebrating.”  Playing as astonishingly horrible down the stretch as the Heat did, they’ll certainly won’t see confetti fall or POP champagne in the locker room.   Maybe they already accomplished their goal by beating the Boston Celtics in round 2, hence their big celebration afterwards.

Chris Bosh was ice cold the entire game going 4-16 from the field & LeBron made it extremely hard for them to win their 1st NBA title by jacking up 3′s & deep shots with the Heat scoring only 5 points in last 7 minutes.  LeBron was 4-6 from the foul line in 2 games played, a damn shame.  What a meltdown, hilarious in a way how the tide can change in NBA basketball.  A disappointed Dwyane Wade showed up to play scoring 36 pts. grabbing 5 rebounds & tossing 6 assist in a losing effort.  He stated it best,” defense is what got us the lead & our (lack of) defense is how we lost.”

All the credit in the basketball world goes out to the Dallas Mavericks for sustaining through what every sports fan including the Mavs fans thought was going to be a shellacking, a beat down of mass proportion.  Dirk Nowitzki struggled throughout the game, bad left hand & all finishing with 24 points & 10 of 22 shooting but the hit shots when it mattered.  Proved he was the closer on the floor last night.  With one of his Snipers showing up late in the 4th Qtr. in Jason Terry who finally got free of LeBron’s D enough to knock down some key shots during the miraculous comeback.  They stayed to their offensive game plan running alot of Pick N Roll & going through Dirk on the block letting him create & find open shooters out of double teams.

When the Mavs got a chance to breath as the Heat slowly lifted their hands away from the Mavs’ juggler, they saw their oportunity & didn’t look back.  With a 17 to 2 run Dallas tied the game 90 to 90 with 57.6 seconds left after Udonis Haslem tried to save a live ball back in bounds but to the wrong team, Dirk finished with an uncontested lay-up.  My jaw dropped, even at that point I still thought  the Heat would slap themselves & wake up, I was mistaken.  The ensuing play Wade took a hand off from LeBron dribbled past Shawn Marion just enough to get a shot off from 3 point land with Marion’s hand in his face & :06 on the shot clock, still enough time to drive to the paint but he settled for a 20+ footer.   And  Then It Was He as in Dirk who smacked the Heat right in there grins with a big 3 point shot giving Dallas the lead 93-90 with 26.7 seconds left 30 seconds after he had tied the game.  My face fell off, I was shocked as I think anybody who loves the game of basketball might be because it just doesn’t happen in the Finals not since I was 12 years old.  The following play  Mario Chalmers  was found by LeBron on an in bounds play sneaking into the corner for a wide open 3 on a blown assignment by Jason terry & as Mike Breen would shout “BANG!!!”  Chalmers ties it at 93-93 we had another tie game but Dirk had the last word & a pitiful Chris Bosh was caught on an island with the “7 foot German Shooting Guard” & then taken to school via bad finger left hand lay up to win the game, followed by a D Wade prayer nearly from halfcourt.


Dirk would not have had a chance to demonstrate his toughness & shooting elegance to close out the astonished Heat without the aggresiveness of Shawn Marion.  He brought his A+ game from the fountain of youth as he chimed in & found the scorer he used to be early in his career.  He kept the Mavs in striking distance up until the start of the 4th Qtr. when Miami had their run that looked to be the beginning of the end until Dirk put his hot sauce on it.  Shawn Marion had some key shots which helped them grab the Heat by the shirt tails & hang on like tackling a NFL running back.  Pulling theirselves up the Heat’s back until the got high enough to bring them down utimately preventing a touchdown in this case preventing a 2-0 lead, now they’re going back home instead with the series 1-1.

Now the momentum has shifted entirely to the Dallas Mavericks as they head back the the Big D for 3 games infront of that relentless crowd. I’m hardpressed to think that this series now belongs to the Mavs & the Miami Heat are actually playing from behind.  Eventhough, LeBron James in is pastel colored suit after the game says “we’re looking forward to the challenge.”  We’ll see if they’re looking forward to the challange, as Wade metioned, “only time will tell.” 

Hell of a game, the playoffs are still impressing me.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals Sunday June 5th @ 8pm ET on ABC

It is what is…

The Big Aristotle Says Bye Via Twitter

For 19 years in the NBA he was a dominate force who put the fear in every opposing player who visited the The Shaqtus under the basket.  He changed the game with his size & ability, his tenacity, his relentless effort & by breaking down backboards.  Somebody got paid very well to create a new backboard that could sustain the punishment of a massive Shaq slam.   People that should thank Shaq: Kobe Bryant & Lakers organization, Dwyane Wade & Miami Heat organization,  Brad Miller in 2002 for Shaq’s haymaker not connecting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B10qzaH5eQk


Drafted into the NBA in 1992 by the Orlando Magic from Louisiana State University 1st overall & then was selected as the Rookie of the Year.  He was a monster, a beast & was noticed as one of the best centers in the league shortly into his career.  His first NBA finals appearance was in 1995 with the Magic but he didn’t win until he teamed up with Kobe Bryant & the Los Angeles Lakers.  They won 3 Championships in a row 2000 through 2002 & then it got a little ugly between him & Kobe in my opinion was over who was receiving the most star power.  Today they would deny that collectively.  After the Lakers he moved around the league while maintaing his dominance stopping in Miami 1st to help another young apprentice in Dwyane Wade win his 1st Championship & his 4th in 2006.  From there he moved to the Phoenix Suns to play with Steve Nash & later moved on to play with LeBron James in Cleveland.  He finishes a Hall of Fame career with 4 titles & 15 All-star appearances & retires after 1 season with the Big 3 of the Celtics.  More notable achievements too many to list all of them but he was also 3 x NBA Finals MVP, 2 x NBA scoring Champ & 8 x All-NBA First Team.

For me his personality speaks higher volumes than his statistics through his wonderous career.  More than anything Shaq has shown that he is a people person even today by retiring via Twitter to his fans before announcing it to the media, a CLASS-ACT, definitely can’t say that about every athlete.  He’s made millions laugh with his comedical antics & has always been a source of entertainment from making rap albums, to that ShaZamm movie, not sure if I spelled that right but no offense, it’s not worth looking it up.  He’s showed that you can be an athlete & not be cocky, not be rude & overall be a human.


Alot of athletes should take a page out his book & come down off their high horse & relate with their fans  like Shaq has.  He’s played for more than half of my life & I’ve always been a fan, not sure where he’s headed next in life but I’m sure he’ll be just as dominant.

Shaq’s farewell from his twitter page.  http://www.tout.com/m/9944wo

Holla’ Big Shaq you’ll always be an Icon.

It is what it is…

Defense Wins Championships, Mavs Go South in South Beach

The Miami Heat after taking Game 1 92-84 over the Dallas Mavericks last night  are now undefeated down in South Beach at 9-0  in the post season.  The Heat now have won their last 5 games including the 4 games they won against the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals after losing the 1st.  According to all major sports, a statement used by coaches across the world in there respective languages, "defense wins championships," sounds cliche but stands true as Miami has showed it's significance last night & in the 2 prior series.
In the Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Mavericks & Oklahoma City Thunder offense was the topic of discussion.  4 out of  5 of the games were shootouts with the Mavs scoring 100 or more and there lowest total in Game 3 was 93 points still enough for a victory.  In that series the Mavs averaged 105.2 points a game & OKC averaged 101.2 making it evident that the series was lacking defensively with both teams.
In the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat & Chicago Bulls defense was what the teams hung their hat on.  The intensity, speed & disruption of both defenses caused the point totals to be much lower than their counter parts in the West.  The Miami Heat averaged 89.4  & held the Bulls to an average of 87.2 throughout a physically demanding series.  With the lowest scoring game being Game 2 when the Bulls were held to only 75 & the Heat were victorious with scoring only 85.


Last night the Mavs were held to their lowest scoring total in their playoff history with scoring a mere 84 points.  The quickness & athleticism of the Heat defense was overwhelming for Dirk Nowitzki & his Snipers.  A caliber defense that they have not faced in the playoffs, they didn't see anything like it from the Blazers, Lakers or Thunder.   It was an obstacle to find an open shot with Jason Kidd & DeShawn Stevenson being the only ones with uncontested shots in the 1st half.  Dirk was swarmed, double teamed & had a body on him at all times over the course of the game.  He saw multiple defenders, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony to Chris Bosh.  Michael Wilbon of ESPN pointed out that most of the Heat players can guard multiple postions with the athleticism they possess & I agree.  Dirk still managed to score 27 points but went 7-18 from the field getting 12 points from the foul line.  Compared to last series after averaging 32.2 points I'd say that was a subpar performance by "7 foot shooting guard."
J.J. Barea was ineffective as I predicted going against the defense that shut down the MVP, Derrick Rose keeping him out of the paint as they did Barea.  Barea went 1 of 8 from the field scoring 2 points & Peja Stojakovic was not even a factor offensively at all & definitely not defensively as Coach Rick Carlisle had him guard Joel Anthony at some point in the game.  Jason Kidd was effective in the Pick N' Roll  in the early going of the game.  The Heat made adjustments & eventually got Kidd unsettled.   Shawn Marion showed a resemblance of his youthful days knocking down awkward leaners utimately being the Mavs 2nd scoring option finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds & 4 assist.  Jason Terry with his Larry O'Brien Trophy tattooed on his right arm was ghostly coming off the bench with only 12 points on 3 of 10 shooting.

If the Mavs hope to contend & stretch this series out they'll need help from their bench who were outscored by Miami's bench 27 to 17.  Only the 8th time the Heat bench has outscored their opponents bench out of 98 games.  Dirk can't do it by himself, Terry, Kidd & Peja are needed more now than ever to knock down shots when Dirk is passing out of double teams.  However, all credit is due to the speed of the Heat closing out on the shooters giving very few open looks at the rim.  If the Miami Heat's defense holds up throughout the series they'll be the NBA's newest Champs, unless Dirk has an unbelievable performance as he did in Game 1 against the OKC Thunder.  That's very doubtful against the Heat's intensity coupled with Erik Spoelstra's defensive philosophy.


The "Dynamic Duo" or as Mark Jackson titled them "Batman & Robin,"  as in LeBron James & Dwyane Wade (vice versa) with the help of  Chris Bosh & the bench turned it on late in the 3rd Qtr. & never looked back.  When being on the opposing team it's like having your hands tied when LeBron & Wade are both focused at the same time.  Along with Chris Bosh putting up 19 points with 9 rebounds & 3 assist.  Both Wade & LeBron earned the honor of being named "The Closers" as they have proven to the basketball world from the Celtics series, through the Bulls & now Game 1 of the Finals over the Mavs.

The big story is the bench of Miami & how the team is gelling at the most imperative time with Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, & Mario Chalmers chipping in with a combined total of 25 points & a sighting of the 16 year vet Juan Howard (1st of the Fab Five to make a Finals appearance) who grabbed 3 big offensive rebounds while the entire Mavs team only had 6.
If the Heat continue to play like this, there is no question that they will be the next NBA Champions all made possible by there unrelenting defense.  So again, coaches you're correct when you say "Defense Wins Championships."

Remember in the 2006 Finals between these teams the Mavs started the series going 2-0 & then lost the rest, 4 straight to the then Dwyane Wade & Shaquille O'Neal lead team.  I don't expect the Heat not to falter once or twice throughout this series, though "Bron Bron" & "D. Wade" may seem super human at times, they are not.  So I'm staying with my prognosis with the series still going 7 games & with Miami finishing as 2011 NBA Finals Champions.
Game 2 Thursday 9pm ET on ABC
Predictions just before tip-off... Krowm Sports
It is what it is...

Photos by Mike Ehrmann/NBAE/Getty Images