Where to start, where to start… Well, first of all, HELL TO THE YEAH! I’m not gonna lie. I wanted this win bad. Probably more than I should have, in fact. It’s only the first game of the season and I really should pace myself. I think the reason I wanted the Celtics to win this game so badly was because I still had that horrible image in my mind of that game last season with LeBron, Delonte and company clowning around on the bench during a blowout against the Cs in the Q. I was also quite sure if I saw or heard Rick Astley, I was going to throw the remote control so hard through the TV, it was going to land in Timbuktu. I really like my TV, so phew… dodged a bullet on that one.

The game started out rough. The “Celtics look old” and “It’s going to be a long season, Boston” tweets were making me want to cut a bitch. The piss poor defense was giving me Nam flashbacks of the brutal Christmas season stretch last season when they lost all those games out in Cali. And then. And then… and THEN — They crawled back up out of that hole and clawed their way into the game. It started with the bench and then like RIT on a crisp white t-shirt, it seeped its way through the whole team and suddenly the Celtics not only caught up, but had the lead and never looked back.

Make no mistake, LeBron looked phenomenal on the defense end. He was holding a block party and the Celtics were helpless to stop it. Whether it was a speedy gonzalez Rondo layup or a finesse-style (slowish) Ray Allen layup, LeBron was there and having none of it. I’m not a LeBron fan, but it was impossible to watch those plays and not appreciate their beauty. On the offense though, he took too many low percentage shots. When he makes them, he looks great, but he didn’t make enough of them. Yes, I know the box score disagrees with me, but I don’t care. I stand by that statement. I think he takes too many long bombs and doesn’t trust his teammates enough. Bottom line, the Cavs just have a lot of work to do to be a championship-caliber team. Shaq looked like old Shaq in the first quarter, but after that, not so much. I’m not buying the “things would have been different if Delonte had played” excuse either. Maybe, things would have been different if Glen Davis had been there too. So what? Yes, I realize Delonte is their starting 2 guard and BBD is a luxury backup for us, but still… If we can’t blame KG being out for losing Game 7 in the playoffs to Orlando, then Cleveland can’t use this excuse here. It’s weak sauce.

This was a great win and I’m happy about it, but this game left me with plenty of questions about the Celtics and the kind of work they need to do to return to championship form too.

• Paul Pierce was his clutch self as always and I love him for that, but who else is going to step up in crunch time?
• The slow starts, turnovers and mental errors continue from last season. Have to clean that up.
• Rondo needs to play every opposing point guard like he plays Chris Paul. Step it up, kid. Prove you’re worth max money every night and maybe you’ll get it.

ps. Shout out to my boy, Craig Sager. I’ve missed you boo.

Chris (Nevada)

Best in East in order 1) Magic 2) Celts 3) Cleveland. Tell me im correct

John Hollinger  (3:07 PM)

I think it’s basically a dead heat between Orlando and Cleveland at the top; I have to pick one of them eventually but will take my sweet time. Boston to me is clearly third in the pecking order based on their age issues and the uncertainty with how Garnett can come back. The other oddity about the East is the rock-paper-scissors nature of the match-ups last season — Orlando beats Cleveland, Cleveland beats Boston, Boston beats Orlando. If that holds up this season, playoff seedings could matter even more than usual.

Oh no he didn’t! Thems fightin’ words baby!

How can Stan Van Gundy whine about not being respected when all these mainstream sports honks are ranking his team above the Celtics? My main issue with all this ranking bs is that its impossible to tell yet how these teams’ new additions are going to pan out. The Shaq & LeBron major monster ego collide could be a disaster. Vince Carter could tear an ACL or get a hangnail. Sheed could punch a ref. Come on now. It’s completely unpredictable!

I realize they get paid to make predictions, but I just don’t see how you put the Boston Celtics third. The team is stacked. Like built-for-another-championship stacked. Maybe, just maybe, I can handle being ranked behind the Cavs, for now… but the Magic? Uh uh. I’m not buying it. No wait, I’m gonna backtrack. I can’t handle being ranked behind the Cavs either.

Grrr! This season can’t start soon enough for me… Hopefully, we’ll quickly separate the chaff from the wheat! Bring. it. on.

ps. Celtics tix went on sale today, but I’m holding off. Last season, I bought 4 tix within the first 2 minutes they went on sale and they were the worst seats in the history of awful seats. I’m going to wait this season and try and grab some better seats that season ticket holders want to sell.

Bitch, please.

Danny, I served with Bill Belichick: I knew Bill Belichick; Bill Belichick was a friend of mine. Danny Ainge, you’re no Bill Belichick.

In other news, the Celtics haven’t made any big moves yet (unless you count drafting some kid last night with the 58th pick), but the Cavs and the Magic sure did. Vince Carter, huh? Answer me this Orlando, if Vince falls on the ground and clutches his hammy, whatcha gonna do? a.) run over and help him; b.) act like he’s dead to you and follow the action down the other end of the court; c) wait for him or Dwight Howard to yell, “Chuck! Aaaaargh!”?

Shaq to Cleveland will be interesting to watch. Shaq is entertaining, but I’m beginning to think he has a big screw loose. During last night’s draft, he said that he and LeBron were having “mental conversations.” What the hell? Bizarre shit. Just sayin.

For more of my thoughts on the Shaq trade, visit The No-Look Pass blog. The blog’s head honcho, Rey-Rey, interviewed me and three other “chicks who love hoops.” Check it out… (For the record, I only throw remote controls at Tarheel fans… and my mom sometimes… because she’s a Tarheel fan. Go Blue Devils.)

Related news:

• Red’s Army: “We value Rondo more than anyone else in the league”
• Third Quarter Collapse: The Morning After: Air Canada Lands In Orlando
• Fear the Sword: Ok, so, Shaquille O’Neal needs a nickname!!!
• The No-Look Pass: Talking To Chicks Who Love Hoops: The Big Trade Piece

The first post, Lebron James — Most Valuable Loser, took LeBron to task for wearing his achievements so prominently on his chest.

Pretty funny except they had to take it just a tad too far by saying that their L.A. boy, Kobe would never do that. Then they saw the “puppet wearing four rings” tee on Kobe and had to eat crow. Hence, the follow up post, Kobe to TMZ — Tell Me How Your Foot Tastes. Clever.

Lol at the dig, “It’s Kobe. We should’ve known better.” Let me get this straight, it’s Kobe’s fault you tried to use him to make a point about LeBron?

So, we’re done now right? Oh no, no, no you silly rabbit. The cameras of TMZ are everywhere. They tracked down the MVP in St. Tropez, spotted him in a “Check My $tats” tee and promptly posted, LeBron James Ego Tour Rolls On.

I’m not sure when LeBron took a wiz in TMZ’s Cheerios, but I say keep it coming. If not for this, I’d have to actually start thinking about the draft and trade scenarios and I just have zero interest in doing that. I like my team. As is. I’ve already stated what I’m willing to part with and I don’t care if we draft anyone Thursday night… capiche? Capiche, then.

This game was a classic “die by the 3″ game. The Lakers defense was part of it, but the Magic also missed a ton of wide open shots. Simply put, the Magic are who we thought they were. The key to me was how the Lakers controlled Dwight. When Dwight can be controlled, the Magic are toast. I’ve read this book before. More than that though, Kobe was just a monster. He had a psycho look in his eye and as I said before this series started, there’s no way he’s not going to avenge last season’s finals. I’m sure the Magic will heat up and probably aren’t going to get swept. Past that though, I’m not sure how long this series can go.

It amused me that right before the game, David Stern announced that he was fining LeBron $25k for not speaking to the media. Strange that he had four off-days where he could’ve announced that, but instead waited until right before game 1. I’m sure LeBron won’t miss that $25k since that kind of money has to be cushion change to him. It was interesting to me when Stern said that LeBron would come and speak out about this at a later date. Why? He already spoke out about it last Sunday when he said he did nothing wrong. So now we are supposed to be sitting here waiting with bated breath for him to come BACK out and change his tune? Like, oh ok, NOW he’s sorry. NOW he realizes it was wrong. Ridiculous. I think the whole thing was overblown, but I also think LeBron’s first instincts and first comments were the truth. He’s spoiled and a bad sport. Nothing more, nothing less. I don’t want to hear another thing he has to say on the subject because spin control makes me cranky.

In other news, apparently KG is making championship guarantees for the next two seasons. Sigh. Oh KG, why do you do this to me? Not long ago, I stated that only chumps make guarantees. I would never call you a chump… but, cut it out.

Recent postings from around the blogosphere:

• Talk Hoops/Both Teams Played Hard – Cross Polination: Emails With Both Teams Played Hard, NBA Finals Preview | Talking Hoops with Talk Hoops: Vol. III (Zach & Jared are hilarious and a great team. Read volume 3 and then check the archives for 1 & 2. They are lengthy, so you’ll need a little time to read everything, but it’s worth every minute.)
• Heels on Hardwood – NBA Withdrawal: 10 Paperbacks for the Basketball Fan (Nat’s lists have been literally rocking my world. Read this post and then be sure to check all of her other great hoops-related recommendations.)
• The No-Look Pass – Chronicles Of Crotty #19: Come Clean (The latest podcast from Rey-Rey and his SoCal posse of Clips/Lakers fans. Check this one out and then be sure to backtrack through the archives. The guys have a lot of fun while sharing their insights on the game.)

Oh and ps. Found out last night that Kobe is Larry Bird’s favorite player. Why don’t you just tell me that Derek Jeter is Jim Rice’s favorite player while you’re at it.

By now, I don’t know what there is left to say about LeBron James and his lack of sportsmanship. He’s been picked clean really and is now just a pile of bones laying by the roadside. I feel like talking about it though, so lets just pretend we haven’t already heard everything there is to say on the matter. What did LeBron do that was so bad exactly? Let’s start a list…

1. Walked off the court without shaking hands with any of the opposing team’s players, including his team USA teammate, Dwight Howard.
2. Left the building without attending the mandatory post-game press conference to talk to the media.
3. Broke his silence the next day by making excuses for his poor sportsmanship by calling himself a winner and denying that his actions make him a poor sport.
4. Wore a Yankees hat to next day non-mea culpa.

I don’t get it. He had to know he was going to get ripped by ESPN, Internet blogs, Twitter, smoke signals and just about any and all modes of communication. Why open yourself up to that? I actually can almost understand #1 and #2. When you’re inconsolable, sometimes you just don’t care about the reprecussions of your actions. So if he was devastated and just couldn’t bring himself to talk about it while it was still an open wound, so be it. What I can’t understand though, is showing up the next day in a Yankees hat refusing to take responsibility for anything. I don’t care how big a Yankees fan he is, that hat was a message and the message was, ”F–k you, Cleveland… and the horse you rode in on too.”

Related news:

• Orlando Sentinel: LeBron defends actions: I’m a winner – not a poor sport
• Fox Sports: How Cavs went from unbeatable to beaten
• CBS Sports: LeBron’s premature celebration haunts him | Will someone smash the guitar over LeBron’s head?
• Red’s Army: Definition of a Sore Loser
• Yahoo! Sports: King James left the playoffs as a loser

1. They won by 10. But… nobody blows a big lead like the Cleveland Cavaliers. I honestly feel sorry for their fans. I can’t imagine never being able to be comfortable for an entire game no matter how many points up my team is.
2. It’s strange seeing the Cavs as the underdog and the Magic as the confident frontrunner. I feel like I fell down Alice’s rabbit hole.
3. Nobody smiles more, no matter what the situation, than Dwight Howard. Jump hook – big smile, slam dunk – huge smile, foul called against him – smirky smile, fouls out of the game – bemused smile, elbows a dude in the face – who me? smile.

Lakers v. Nuggets 104-93

Lamar Odom likes candy… A lot of candy.

Source: YouTube/Lakernation024

It amuses me that Lamar has a man servant who stocks up his luxury automobile with piles of candy. It makes me wonder what he was like as a kid at Halloween. Probably had ten different costumes and hit up all the houses in his neighborhood over and over until their supply of gummy worms and reese’s cups ran out.

Oh yeah, the game. Well, it was a’ight. I vaguely remember the Nuggets keeping it close and then coughing it up sometime in the 2nd half. Both of these teams play better at home, which bodes well for Lakers winning in 7 at Staples. But, we’ll see. If the Nuggets implode maybe it’ll be in 6.

I have mixed feelings about these games.

On the one hand, I really did want someone to knock the Cavs on their ass. They were just way too pleased with themselves this year between the pre-game picture pose crap and the starters dancing on the bench to Rick Astley at the end of games like the good days were just never going to end. Oh they end all right. They end. I know that my team talked their own trash and did their own dancing in 2008, but it never came easy. Never. The Celtics had to fight their way past the Hawks and then Cavs before they got to the ECF. They didn’t just breeze through them in consecutive sweeps. There is just something obnoxious about the way the Cavs arrived at their own ECF and I think now that they’re here, they have few supporters left outside of Cleveland. I know, I know… What were they supposed to do? Lose? Not be happy? I don’t know. I think it’s all about the way you celebrate and the way you rub it in. They did a little too much of both. Over this past season, I’ve seen the tide turn against them — mainly LeBron actually — and now that it’s turned, it’s like a mean spirited tidal wave. People just can’t wait to see LeBron fail. People appreciate a talented athlete, but they don’t want one that’s built up to be a messiah before he’s even won any championships.

The Magic on the other hand, are playing the “nobody respects us” card to the hilt. Something about that makes me want to punch them in the neck too. Just shut the hell up. Win something and then people will respect you. It really is that easy. Shut up and win. Two things I really wish Dwight Howard would stop doing. 1) Grabbing the ball, putting his head down, and “bull”-ing his way to the basket. That should be a foul every time and it’s only called about half the time. Everybody bitches about LeBron getting away with fouls, well he’s not the only one. 2) Swinging his elbows around wildly when he’s grabbing rebounds. He does this all the time and it’s incredibly dangerous. Thankfully he’s mostly only injured his own teammates thus far, but soon enough he’s going to to hurt someone who matters… Like Perk or Leon.

I’m kind of back to not cheering for either of these teams. Which is really as it should be. When it comes down to it, they’re both my mortal enemy.

Related news:

• CBSSports.com: Magic’s dirty little tricks becoming annoying habit
• Red’s Army: Breaking News: The Magic Feel Disrespected
• Orlando Sentinel: LeBron James hype is out of control
• Hornets Hype: The Discourse of Lebron.

Important thoughts below, brace yourself.

1. Where was @jeaniebuss on Twitter tonight? How am I supposed to watch an entire Laker game without knowing if Brandy or John Mayer are present and accounted for?
2. Despite the Nuggets being ahead all game, I just knew the Lakers would win it. They just hung around and hung around and hung around and… well, you know.
3. Kobe’s clutch scoring just never ceases to amaze me. Oops, I said “amaze” which is seriously close to “amazing” — a word I promised myself I’d stop saying. Tsk tsk, me.
4. Whoever made that cardboard Birdman sign with movable wings… I salute you.
5. I completely randomly discovered tonight that I’ve been spelling King James’ name wrong and have been doing so for years. Apparently, it’s LeBron and not Lebron. Capital B. Ah well, he’s not on my team. Hell with it.
6. Trevor Ariza should be locked up for grand theft cajones. If you haven’t been counting, that’s two stolen inbounds passes to essentially destroy Denver.