San Antonio waltzed their way to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. As long as Utah cannot stop San Antonio’s three-headed monster, they will continue to loss. After all, they never expected to be here. Everyone was expecting Dallas to be in the conference finals, not the Jazz.

In the Spurs’ 108-100 triumph in Game One, Tim Duncan had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Manu Ginobili added 23 points and 10 assists, while Tony Parker contributed 21 points and six dimes. Jazz forward Carlos Boozer was just 7-for-17 from the field, good enough for 20 points and 12 rebounds. But he had only three field goals in Utah’s disastrous first half.

The Spurs had a 19-point lead at halftime, and were up 18 early in the fourth. The only bright spot for the Jazz was Deron Williams’ 18-point performance in the fourth which deceivingly reduced the lead to eight by the end of the game.

Game Two was no different from Game One. The Spurs had this game from start to finish. Duncan had 26 points and 14 caroms, while Ginobili added 17 points. Parker may have only scored 17, but he had 14 assists, setting-up devastating threes from Bruce Bowen, Ginobili, Michael Finley and Brent Barry. All four guys had three three’s apiece. Everytime Utah made a run, San Antonio answered with three-pointers.

Although, Boozer bounced back with a 33-point-15-rebound performance, the Jazz never led in this one. San Antonio easily won 105-96.

Now the series shifts to Utah. The Jazz were down 0-2 before, in the first round against the Houston Rockets. But the Spurs are far a better team than Houston. They’ve got the rings to show for it. The Jazz may have won two games at Salt Lake City during the regular season, but this is the play-offs. The Spurs are the superior team, and Utah does not offer much resistance.

I expect the Jazz may win one at home, but just one. I say Spurs in five, and let the Detroit-San Antonio showdown begin anew. That’ll be a more interesting series.

The Warriors were beaten at home by the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz, 101-115. Derek Fisher was instrumental in this one, pouring 14 of his 21 points in the decisive fourth, after the Warriors and the Jazz were trading baskets back and forth. Frankly, the Jazz will win in five games. Utah has been unbeaten at home in the play-offs and they will wrap it up in Game Five at Salt Lake City.

Don Nelson’s boys were badly outplayed in this one. Most of the Golden State players are first timers in the play-offs except for Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson. But both guys were shooting poorly in this one. Jackson went 5-of-15 from the field, and Davis was a miserable 6-of-16. The Warriors can’t expect a “W” if their leaders couldn’t bring their A-game.

Even so, the Warriors did not expect to go this far. And it has been a great season for the Bay Area ballers. They will be more formidable come next postseason as they have gained much experience.

He is my second most favorite NBA player, next only to Steve Nash. He should not have blurted out those defeatist words just right before Game Four of their first round series against the Golden State Warriors.

After a remarkable 67-win season, Dirk’s Dallas Mavericks bowed out of the title contention right in the first round, against the eighth-seeded Warriors, a team who barely made it to the play-offs. Golden State had to win their last game of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers to clinch the last play-off berth in the West.

When Dallas needed their leader, Nowitzki was nowhere to be found both off and on the floor. He gave up as early as Game Four, after a disappointing and huge Game Three loss. He proclaimed that if his Mavericks lose Game Four, and down 1-3, their season would be over. A leader should not have said that, he should show and emulate hope. He did not learn anything from his best friend’s (Steve Nash) example last season, when the Suns rallied from 1-3 down to win their first round series against the Lakers.

Last Thursday, Nowitzki, in perhaps the most important game this season, shot brick after brick, went 2-of-13 from the field, scored just eight points, 0-of-6 from three-point range and had big three turnovers. After going 0-of-6 at the start, Nowitzki continued to elect shooting from the outside rather than driving to the hole. He became a role player when he should have been the go-to-guy. The result: Dirk and the Mavs were thrased, 86-111, by the Warriors.

Perhaps, his former mentor, Don Nelson, had a lot to do with these unfortunate turn of events. Nellie knows Dirk’s weaknesses, he knows how Avery Johnson thinks, he knows most of the Dallas players’ games. This season, Nelson is 7-1 against his former team. That’s just bad luck for Nowitzki and the Mavericks.

It is most likely that Nowitzki will receive the MVP trophy next week. That’s such a disgrace. He may be the best player of the best regular-season team. But he isn’t a true MVP. He lacks the heart and the leadership of MVPs past. A heart exhibited by the real MVP, Steve Nash.

Enough said!

Well, I hate to do this, but what did I tell’ya. Yes, I predicted a 67-win season for the Mavericks at my post, “Total Domination.” And they did get just that.

Anyway, going into this series, the Golden State Warriors hold the psychological edge. They have swept their season series against the Mavericks, and they were high scoring games. On November 6, they won 107-104, they again were victorious on March 12, 117-100, and defeated Dallas’ second stringers last April 17 for a 111-82 victory.

Dallas needs to heed to Avery Johnson defensive game plan for them to be victorious, and I believe they will just do that. They will clamp on these inexperienced Warriors. Nelson is just the master of the run-and-gun style that the Mavericks won’t thrive in. Expect Avery to preach defense all series long.

Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop have to be effective underneath to grab rebounds so as to prevent the Warriors from running. The wingmen trio of Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard and Devean George have to be quick on their feet to shut down the perimeter threats of Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Monty Ellis and Jason Richardson.

And Dirk Nowitzki will have a superb series. There is just no one in that Golden State roster that could match-up against the premier MVP candidate. Al Harrington is just too short and Andres Biedrins is too slow. Dirk will average over 30 points in this match-up.

The X-Factors are Jason Terry for Dallas, and Monty Ellis for the Warriors. Whoever has the better game will catapult his team to victory.

I predict a five-game series with Dallas advancing to the second round.

The cast for the Eastern Conference Playoffs has been completed for some time now, but the match-ups have yet to be determined. Most teams, especially the Central Division, are still battling for two of the top four slots, and gain home court advantage. Detroit has clinched the top spot, but Cleveland is just a half game behind Chicago for the second seed.

Out West however, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers are slugging it out for the eighth and last spot. Hell, the Clippers may even snatch the seventh spot if the Lakers lose their last assignment. Right now, the Warriors own that eighth spot at 40-40, just one game ahead of the Clippers (39-41). The Warriors have won their last three games, while the Clippers lost four of its last six, a bad omen for the Los Angeles boys.

The Clippers would love to go back-to-back in postseason wars. The last time they did that was in the 1991-93 seasons. They have Phoenix and New Orleans as their last assignments. A lone win, coupled with two Golden State losses, will catapult them to the play-offs since they own the tie breaker.

The Warriors, on the other hand, will clinch that play-off spot if they win their last two games. Thus, in any scenario, they need to win their last two meetings, one with Dallas and the other with Portland, to avoid any complications.

For me, I would like Golden State to go to the play-offs. Why? First, their coach, Don Nelson, was the one who brought the Dallas franchise back to life as he stirred the Mavericks to successive play-off appearances from 1999-2005, after the ballclub has stayed in limbo for a decade. What drama would emanate if Nelson faces his former team. It is also important to note that Nelson was the last coach to guide the Warriors franchise to their postseason appearance back in 1993-94 when his General Manager, Chris Mullin, was still playing for him.

Second, Golden State holds the edge against Dallas in their season series. And only two other teams have won twice against the Mavericks. They are Phoenix and Utah. But the Warriors may sweep Mark Cuban’s boys tomorrow, and hold that psychological advantage coming into the first round.

Lastly, I would love to see another running team making it to the postseason. That will really make it more exciting. Imagine Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the play-offs and eventually beating methodical and boring ballclubs like the Jazz and the Spurs. I would just love to see that.

The Grizzlies went to the playoffs for the third straight year last season ever since moving to Memphis from Vancouver. But, they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks, their third straight year being swept by their first round nemesis. They are now an NBA low 0-12 in the playoffs.

But their misfortunes were just beginning. It all started when rumors spread that the franchise is for sale at 350-million dollars. Owner Michael Heisley just cannot figure out how to bring the fans back to the FedEx Forum. Then, there are still no definite buyers till now.

Then general manager Jerry West may just have spent his last season in Memphis, as reports have stated that he is on his way out. Then coach Mike Fratello, who took over the reigns from Hubie Brown, did not finish his last season with the Grizzlies. He was replaced by Tony Barone from Duke University in the middle of the season.

What compounded the matter to becoming worse was the injury to superstar center Pau Gasol, who tore his right patellar tendon in the World Championships while playing for Spain. The Grizzlies had a very bad start, and things did not even go well when Gasol came back in late December. The star center even wanted to be traded. But no good deal came their way on one of the quietest trade deadlines ever.

It appears right now that the Grizzlies are going to have the best chances of winning the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant lottery come draft day. And they have a lot of issues to answer. And they have to trade Pau. There’s no use keeping a player who does not want to play for you anymore. They have to shop for big names. But first things first, if Heisley really wants to sell the team, he’s got to find a buyer pretty soon. If not, he needs to find a way to keep his players and fans happy.

The Suns pulled away in the final quarter after 13 ties and nine lead changes from the first quarter to the third. Brazilian Leandro Barbosa led all scorers with 29 points for the Suns. Shawn Marion had 20 points and 3 blocks. Amare Stoudemire added 24, Boris Diaw contributed 16 points and five assists, including a behind-the-back pass to Stoudemire that highlighted the second period. Two-time MVP Steve Nash had 23 points and 11 assists.

Dirk Nowitzki, meanwhile, struggled for the Mavericks. He had 21 points on just 6-for-18 shooting. It was Josh Howard who topscored for Dallas with 28.

The Suns went 6-for-7 from three-point range in the second half. They hit 12 for the game. With the win, Phoenix tied the season series against Dallas, 2-2, and they have swagger-edge.

Phoenix just needs to get past San Antonio for them to go back to the West Finals for the third straight year. And if they do so, they have a big chance of beating Dallas in a best-of-seven series. They’ve got the Mavericks figured out already.

Howard grew up with an ailment. He had deformed legs. He had to undergo surgery just to have his legs fixed. He wasn’t able to run and jump then. But that was no hindrance to his fervor zeal to succeed.

Josh was ACC Player of the year when he played for Wake Forest (also Tim Duncan’s alma mater). The obstacles did not end their though. Everyone thought that he would be picked high in the draft. But in a batch where big names and talent like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh exist, he was hardly noticed. He was picked second to the last in the first round, 29th over-all by the Mavericks, an utter disappointment. But maybe, a blessing in disguise.

Howard did not mind that. He played hard, and was a great contributor in Dallas’ 2005 playoff campaign. His potential was realized as early as then, such that teams like Detroit and Seattle wondered why they picked Darko Milicic and Robert Swift ahead of him. His numbers have been increasing over the years. He averaged 12.6 points as a rookie, 15.6 as a sophomore. And now, he is a bonafide All-Star, norming 18.9 points a night, second only to MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki. He is one of the most versatile players in the league. He also contributes 7 rebounds and 1.2 steals on top of his point production. And his defense is relentless. He is one of Coach Avery Johnson’s favorite.

And why not? He has risen against all odds. A guy truly emulating.

Phoenix started their week by routing the Houston Rockets, 103-82, last March 12. Leandro Barbosa, the prime candidate for the sixth man of the year, led the Suns attack as he tied a career-high 32 points.

Then on Wednesday night, March 14, the Suns overhauled a 15-point fourth quarter deficit, and two-time MVP Steve Nash scored the last ten points for the Suns in 55 seconds to force overtime.

The NBA leaders battled thru two extensions, and Phoenix emerged as victors in a highly emotional, playoff-like-atmosphered game.

Amare Stoudemire led all scorers with 41 points and also had 10 caroms. Nash had a near triple-double of 32 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds.

The Suns may have been emotionally spent by that game, before they went to that Detroit game. They trailed almost the whole game and they appeared exhausted except for Nash. Stoudemire may have 24 points and 15 rebounds, but he also committed a disastrous seven turnovers. The Suns, as a whole, had a disgusting 22 TOs. And they went just 2-of-15 from the three-point line, a very disappointing percentage.

Nash had 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, but he got no help from the other Suns. They may have drained all their energy against Dallas, that they were unable to overcome a seven-point deficit, which stood from the second canto till the third. The Pistons led 87-72 at the start of the fourth, and never looked back.

The Pistons were hitting from almost anywhere. They shot 8-of-14 from rainbow country. Reserve guard Flip Murray scored a season-high 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field. He played extended minutes, due to the groin injury suffered by starter Chauncey Billups midway in the second period.

Rasheed Wallace added 20 points, including 4-of-6 threes and Chris Webber had 17 for Detroit, who went 5-0 in their Western trip, a very impressive run.

The Pistons dictated the tempo, continually getting the ball to the post, where the bulk of their points came from. They also played tenacious defense, limiting the Suns to their lowest output and their second worst loss of the season.

With the loss, Phoenix went back to being behind by 3½ games to the Mavericks for the league’s best record. They currently stand at 49-14.

The Suns just need to finish off the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night to cap a very challenging week where they would have faced all playoff bound ballclubs. And I know they will bounce back from this horrible defeat and get that win in Denver. (photos courtesy of yahoonba)

But last night, Nash and the Phoenix Suns stole away that spotlight from his best friend Dirk. As a huge Phoenix Suns fan (I love to say that a lot!), I could say it was the best game my Suns have played all season long, going toe-to-toe with the league-leaders, and beating them when it seems that the game was already over. It even toppled that classic Suns-Nets game.

Anyway, I had goosebumps as I watched that game. I know I predicted a so-it-seemed-impending Dallas victory, but I was just playing it safe since the Mavs had the depth and D (defense – 3rd in the league in limiting opponents’ field goals to a minimum). Well, the departure of Devin Harris due to injury and the non-availability of Devean George helped the cause, but still they should have the depth to compensate for their loss. I’m babbling here. The point is I was wrong. I lost trust in my own team. What a bad fan I am.

Going back to the game, the Suns were down by seven with just 55 seconds to go. If you have seen it, you would have thought that the Mavericks had that game already. But seeing what Nash can do, and how he did it against a tough New Jersey team earlier this season, I know something great was bound to happen. Guess what? With 55 ticks left, Nash scored the last ten Suns points, all ten, to force an overtime. He made all five of his free-throws, hit a lay-up over Josh Howard and Jason Terry, and shot that big three that sent the game into overtime, all in that stretch.

Well, what did Nowitzki do in that stretch? He missed two very crucial and most important free-throws..again! Why again? He also missed four against the Heat in last season’s NBA Finals, which cost them the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Nowitzki is a 91% free-throw shooter for the season, and Nash is just at 88%. But Nash knows when to hit, and he converts those that really matter.

Nowitzki had a great game. But Steve had the better game between the two MVP contenders. Other candidates like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant don’t matter anymore. It’s now down to these two best friends and one-time teammates. Who would have thought that it will get to this? Them, pitted against each other for the league’s highest individual award. But I know that they will want nothing more than the championship.

Wait, where was I? Oh, yes, Steve had the better game and made a strong case last night. Nowitzki had 30 points, 6 assists and 16 rebounds. But Nash had a near triple-double with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 16 assists. And those points, rebounds, the one crucial steal and assists came when they were most needed. And he got the win for his team when it seemed that Dallas already had it. He willed his team for that 129-127 double-overtime triumph! It was a classic, and I watched the replays. All of it!

All I am trying to say is Steve Nash is still the MVP, and you don’t need more proof than this!