nba musings

Random NBA thoughts in no particular order:

This stretch between Sunday and Wednesday with no NBA has been brutal. I don’t know what I’m going to do during the off-season this year. It’s going to be long and painful. Sigh. Thankfully tonight, ESPN Classic is airing Game 4 of last year’s finals. I still can’t believe that game. Epic comeback. Watching it reminds me of how much I miss the love of my life, James Posey.

Is it just me or did anyone else notice a change in Charles Barkley this season after he came back to TNT from his DUI bust? To me, he just seemed to be enjoying his job a lot less. I can’t nail down exactly what he did to make me think this, but it’s just something I kept noticing the longer the season went on. He was still fun to watch though. Only Chuck could call his colleagues numbnuts and pussy over the airwaves and get away with it.

Some quick Celtics updates – KG had surgery last week to remove bone spurs and is now rehabbing his right knee, The Boston Celtics won the Professional Sports Team of the Year award by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau lost out to Eddie Jordan for the head coaching position with the Philadelphia 76ers — will interview with the Sacramento Kings this Saturday for their head coaching vacancy, Tony Allen had surgery today at New England Baptist hospital on his right ankle.

Prediction time. So for the finals, I’m picking the Lakers to win and my mom is picking the Magic. She took a big long drink of the kool-aid everyone else is drinking based on the last series. I’ve only been watching the NBA since 2006, but I’ve been watching long enough to know that the Magic got a very VERY very favorable matchup when they met up with the Cavs. It will not be so easy this time around. Do they have a chance? Yes, they have a good chance. But, not a great chance. The Lakers have been waiting all year to redeem themselves in this year’s finals. I have a hard time believing that they’re going to let anyone stop them this time.

For a quick NBA fix, this interview by 850 The Buzz with J.J. Redick is worth listening to. He candidly discusses a variety of topics including LeBron not shaking hands after game 6, how Dwight has a stylist who picks out the sherbert colored sweaters he wears to press conferences, which Duke alums he’s in touch with and who he thinks will win this year’s NBA Finals (gosh, I wonder). Even if you don’t like J.J., this is still a good listen for NBA fans who enjoy getting the inside scoop.

Recent postings from around the blogosphere:

• Heels on Hardwood: NBA Withdrawal: 10 Player Stocks on the Rise through the Recession (Playoff Edition)
• Red’s Army: Oh those meddling Maloofs
• The No-Look Pass: We Like Obscure NBA Players: Pig Miller
• Both Teams Played Hard: All the News Fit to Six: June 3, 2009
• Talk Hoops: Hoops Media Consumption — June 3, 2009