Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I'll do better. I promise!
Get ready! The NBA Playoffs are only days away. In this post, I'll share who I'm riding with out of the Eastern Conference. You'll have to
check back later in the week when I share my Western Conference favs (or lack thereof, lol).
When reading this, please know that
this is about who I want to win, not who I think will win. And please, please, please commit this to memory because if any of my teams get knocked out early and you see me repping another team, I encourage you to call me out. I'd do it for you.
Being from New York, I naturally have to root for the Eastern Conference. As Blahzay Blahzay said,
When the East is in the House, Oh My God.
Check the records. The Eastern Conference teams dominate the Western Conference teams. Biggie would be proud. OK, enough with the preamble. Let's do this!
First off, I'm riding with the Cavs all the way to the Finals. I know that's not an original thought, but for me it's kind of a big deal because I wasn't like the rest of America. When Lebron was drafted, I didn't immediately hop on the King James bandwagon. The fact that ESPN was covering his high school games meant nothing to me. I wanted him to prove himself first. Hailing someone as the second coming prematurely annoys me. Sports heads are good for that. I can't stand it! Plus, the 2003 NBA Draft was stacked with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and lots of other players that showed and proved in college. I had a reason to see those guys succeed over cheering for Lebron. To be honest, I don't think I really became a Lebron fan until 2007, when he took the Cavs to the finals and one-year after D-Wade got his ring.
Although it took me four years, I'm here now! I'd love to see King James earn his jewels. I think his chances now are as good as they've ever been. Shaq Diesel (less 20 lbs.) is coming back. I expect him to be focused and energized. The playoffs is when he gets back on D a little quicker and jumps a little higher. He gets after it. Lebron should also be refreshed and ready to go since he hasn't played in a week and will probably sit out the last game of the regular season. And the supporting cast of Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, and Delonte West are going to show up. They know this might be the end of the road for Lebron in a Cavs uni so it's now or never!
Selfishly, I want them to be hungry for that reason. I think that Lebron's chances of coming to the Knicks will improve if he gives the people of Cleveland a Championship. If he loses, I don't think he'll bail on his fans. I respect that, but that's not the result I'm looking for. Let's make everyone happy. And by everyone I mean Knicks and Cavs fans. Win for the home fans, pack it up, and make that move to NYC. We need to get that old feeling back at the Garden and in the city. I know the Yankees won, the Jets went to the AFC Championship this year, and the Giants won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but trust me, it's not the same. When the Knicks are winning, the city is electric. I want that old thing back. Go CAVS!!!!
Second on my list are the Atlanta Hawks. Yes. The Atlanta Hawks. All season I'd been waiting for the real Atlanta Hawks to stand up and present themselves. You know, the team that hadn't been relevant since the Dominique Wilkins days. In other words, decades ago, lol. I don't necessarily remember when I became a believer, but at some point during the season, it happened. They've been pretty convincing with their consistent play. They kept winning and winning and winning, transforming my shock to belief.
As a Spelman College alumna, I spent four of the most important years of my life in the ATL. It's like my second home. I will always have a special place in my heart for that city. I remember going to check out the Hawks' games when the Knicks came to town. You could purchase tickets for $5. Five dollars! Craziness. But, despite the bargain basement ticket prices, the arena was still empty as hell. It was sad.
My, my, my look how far they've come. Joe Johnson, Jumpshot JC (the nickname my brother gave Jamal Crawford during his Blue/Orange days), Al Horford, Josh Smith and the rest of those boys are legit. And even though they're the number three seed in the East, I still feel like they're an underdog and most people will sleep on them. Please don't be one of those people. Show them some love!
As for the rest of the teams in the East, I don't really have an interest in who advances to win it all. Alright, I may be exaggerating...slightly. If the Magic,
Hornets (see update below), and (maybe) the Heat win, I wouldn't mind.
I know the Magic have had a helluva run, but I'm not putting too much stock in them after last year's performance. Dwight Howard came up short big time. They had the whole country riding with them against the Lakers and they couldn't get it done. It was a major disappointment. Adding Vince Carter to the team, plus a healthy Jameer Nelson should take them far, but I'm not sure it'll be enough. We shall see..
UPDATE: Next up are the
Hornets. Charlotte Bobcats. I don't know what I was thinking, but clearly I had a lapse in memory and took it back to before the Hornets were relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans. MAJOR FAIL, which makes me wonder, are you guys reading this????
Anyway, another reason I thought about the Hornets and not the Bobcats is because since when do the Bobcats make the playoffs?!?!?! Although, I do remember them playing the Knicks a couple of times this season and beating us. I know that doesn't say too much, but for me it does. I always looked at the Bobcats as an easy win. Not so much anymore. Gotta give props where props are due, Larry Brown and Michael Jordan seem to be taking the franchise in the right direction, for this season at least. The Bobcats grabbing that seventh seed is a huge victory. They won't make it out of the first round, and may even get swept by the Magic, so they should be happy they made it this far.
Next season is another story. Since Eddie Jordan was recently fired by the 76ers, there's already talk that Larry Brown may return to Philly. Interesting. Very, very interesting. Let's see how the team's new Majority Owner, Michael Jordan, handles things during the offseason.
Moving on to the Heat. Since they won in '06, I'd prefer if they didn't win again. As long as Pat Riley runs that team, I'll never fully support them. I still feel some type of way about Pat the Rat flat leaving us for the Heat. It's really too bad because I actually like this Heat team, but unfortunately, I can't rock with them...based purely on principle.
I'm hoping the Raptors will be watching the playoffs from their couches just like me so that will leave us with the Bulls, Bucks, and Celtics. In my opinion, the Bucks are never anything to be excited about unless you live in Milwaukee, so I'll just keep it moving to the Bulls.
Although I like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Brad Smith, I can rarely bring myself to root for the Bulls. As a Knicks fan, I just can't allow it to happen. We were crushed by MJ too many times. Last year's playoffs were a rare exception. Watching the Bulls battle it out against the Celtics was great! For that series, all was forgiven and I was a hardcore Bulls fan. Talk about "Where Amazing Happens". That series was it. Definitely one of the best. But if the Bulls lock down that 8th spot, they'll be going up against the Cavs. No way I'm rooting for the Bulls.
Lastly, we have the Celtics. It should be pretty clear that they get zero love from me, especially since they got their rings in 2008. The only reason I was remotely ok with them winning was because a) they beat the Lakers and b) because I like Doc Rivers. However, with that said, all generosity has left the building. I'd very much appreciate the Celtics exiting the playoffs rather expeditiously.
There you have it! Don't forget to check my blog later in the week for a post on the Western Conference.
P.S. If you like what you've read, please leave a comment. Thanks!
