BIG: A Eulogy to Shaq's NBA Career

How's this for a (semi) oxymoron: devastatingly hilarious.

After 19 years, Shaquille O'Neal retired from the NBA. The only NBA player, or person alive, or person dead, that I can truly describe to be both - devastating, and hilarious. If I can describe him in two words, it would be those two. Not someone who was so hilarious that it almost destroyed people. Not someone who was so devastating that it was funny. No: Shaq was both those things, separately and together, in one single entity.

I heard the news seven or eight hours later than it was first announced: but this is 2011, and in the world of fast news sharing and even faster reactions, seven or eight hours is a lifetime. There was a newsletter from the NBA in my inbox, but instead of discussing the NBA Finals, the focus was all about a certain announcement by the NBA's biggest personality.

On a 16-second long video posted on Twitter, Shaquille O'Neal of the Celtics, and the Cavs before that, and the Suns before that, and the Heat, and most memorably of the Lakers, and for the Magic, announced his retirement.

The 'twitter retirement' was a surprising whimper in the story of a man who is loud, proud, boisterous, and overly Shaqtastic.

Everything about the career of Shaq has been Big. Not just Big, but BIG. It should be in bold actually. As a matter of fact, here you go: BIG. From his 7 foot 1 inch, 150 kg body to his achievements - his four championship rings, his three Finals MVP awards, his 2000 NBA MVP award, and his 15 All Star appearances. He was BIG when it came to dunking on everyone from Dikembe Mutumbo to Robert Parish, and BIG when he broke backboards on his dunks.

Now, he retires as one of the best Centers ever to play the game - and in all seriousness, I will put him in top 3, somewhere in the league with Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - I'm sorry but I have never been a fan of Chamberlain. Put Shaq in the Chamberlain-era and he would've made averaging 60 and 30 look easy.

But his career to me also leaves a HUGE gaping hole and a list of questions and what-ifs - yes, I know, every player has a what if (what if MJ never left in 93? what if Grant Hill never got injured? what if the Lakers never traded for Kobe as a rookie?), but the Shaq what-if is simpler, and thus, most frustrating.

What if he cared more?

Never in his 19-year-career did Shaq play all 82 games of the regular season. His peak of dominance, where he made every other player in the league look like mincemeat, was far too short for someone with this potential. I know I'm saying this of a player, who with one trade, changed the entire balance scale of the NBA, but Shaq was THAT good. Even after a hall of fame career, I say he could've done more, could've been better. What if Shaq tried to stay in better shape? What if Shaq took the regular season more seriously? What if Shaq worked on his free throws? What if there was never any drama between him and Kobe in LA?

I read an article many years ago about how, based on pure dominance, Shaq is the man who comes closest to being the one person to change the entire shape of a franchise. Only Michael Jordan in the history of every great basketball player may rank higher. And what if Shaq had the hunger MJ had? What if he had 75 percent of that hunger? What if he tried harder and sacrificed more to keep winning. I'm convinced that he would be sitting comfortably on a couple more MVP awards, a couple more rings, and a place in NBA history as perhaps the second-best player in basketball.

Well, it's finally over now, and by most reactions, people are happy Shaq called it a day. From being the league's Most Dominating Ever (MDE) to a mere sideshow who was now more famous for his jokes and his dunks, the end of Shaq's playing career was a little too quiet.

There has been just too much about Shaq, on and off the court, to truly capture in a silly little article. I try to think about how to approach this, but the idea of Shaq, like Shaq itself, is bigger than most other NBA personalities. So I'm going to take a cop-out and list to you the many, many, MANY things that I remember about Shaq. Some you may know, some you may have forgotten, and some may be new to you - I just hope that, by the end of this list, you realise that there will never be a player who was as dominant on court and as awesome off it as Shaq again.

1. I have already mentioned this before, but Shaq broke backboards.

2. In additional to his basketball career, Shaq released four rap albums in the 90s: Shaq Diesel, Shaq Fu: The Return, You Can't Stop the Reign, and Respect.

3. Shaq played for six different teams in his career, and he took THREE of them to the NBA finals - the Magic, the Lakers, and the Heat. He won with Lakers and Heat.

4. Shaq did a legendary song with another BIG - the Notorious B.I.G. - on the classic, "You Can't Stop The Reign" - "7-0, towerin inferno / invincible smooth individual / who wanna test it, foreign or domestic / no matter where you're from, I'm not the one you wanna mess wit".

5. Oh, Shaq was rookie of the year too, with the Magic.

6. Yes, Shaq did movies, of course Shaq did movies. You don't remember the classic Kazaam? Or the unstoppable Steel? What's wrong with you?

7. These were Shaq's statistics in the NBA Finals during the three-peat with the Lakers (2000-2002): 35.9 ppg, 15.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg, and 60 percent shooting. He was Finals MVP all three times.

8. Shaq has been in many music videos too, not including his own. This is very random, but I used to watch a lot of NBA Inside Stuff in the 90s, and they showed the making of a video of a little child- Aaron Carter, younger brother of Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter - of a song called "That's How I beat Shaq". No need to say more. (BTW, one of the worst songs ever). "Hey Aaron, are you for real? / One on one with Shaquille O'Neal?

9. Shaq is the fifth all-time in career scoring, at 28,596 points. He has mentioned several times that he regrets not hitting more free throws and getting higher up this list.

10. Shaq like to nickname himself, over and over again. Here is a short list (believe me, it's short): Diesel, Shaq Fu, Big Daddy, Superman (Yes, children, Shaq came way before Dwight), Big Agave, Big Cactus, Big Shaqtus, Big Galactus, Wilt Chamberneezy, The Big Baryshnikov, Dr. Shaq (after earning his MBA), Big Shamrock, Big Leprechaun, Shaqovic and Big Conductor (because he conducted the Boston Pops orchestra, obviously). He even asked fans to give him a post-retirement nickname, and settled with the 'Big 401K'. Not to mention his most recent nickname which he gave himself during the 'retirement press conference', as The Big AARP (Association for the Advancements of Retired Persons).

11. Don't be fooled by the last few years, in his prime, there was no bigger force of nature than Shaquille O'Neal. In his prime, he was one of the league's best scorers, best rebounders, best shot-blockers, and had developed his own drop-step dunk, of course, nicknamed by him, the 'Black Tornado'. To put it mildly, take Shaq 2000-2003, put him against any player in the history of the league, and NO ONE would be able to stop him. The only defense against Shaq was 'Hack-A-Shaq', aka, fouling him and forcing him to shoot free throws.

12. Shaq has a long-list of other possible work avenues besides basketball. I've already mentioned the movies and the music. In 2010 he undertook a PhD in Leadership and Education with a specialisation in Human Resource Development at Barry University. His dissertation topic was "The Duality of Humor and Aggression in Leadership Styles". Humour and Aggression - Laker leadership, anybody? Shaq is an honourary US Deputy Marshall and a Miami Beach reserve officer. He is trained in Mix-Martial Arts - boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling. And he's on Reality TV, extremely popular with the Shaq Vs. show.

13. In 2004, when Shaq was traded to Miami, it became the biggest shift of NBA power in recent memory - he immediately made a paper thin Eastern Conference stronger. The only other players to make a big difference in the entire map of the NBA within one year in a new team have been Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves to Celtics in 2007) and LeBron James (Cavs to Heat in 2010).

14. Shaq liked to dance, and we like to watch a behemoth dance like he's Michael Jackson. Out of all of them, my favourite highlights are: 1. Shaq, LeBron, and Dwight Howard having a dance-off at the All Star Game, 2. Shaq dancing with the Jabberwockiez, and 3. Shaq challenging Justin Bieber to a dance-off.

15. Shaq played for six different teams during his career - definitely the most for any player in my 'greatest ever' list: Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavs, and Celtics. What I liked was how, in every city, he truly embraced its culture and became a complete vocal part of the team.

16. After Kobe lost the 2008 Finals to the Celtics, Shaq went on stage at a club to sing, "Kobe, tell me how my ass taste?"

17. Only three players have won the All Star MVP, NBA MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season. They are: Willis Reed (1970), Michael Jordan (1996 and 1998) and Shaq (2000).

18. No, Shaq didn't play a lot in his last season in Boston, but he entertained fans in another way - posing as a statue in Boston Square, dressing up in drag on Halloween and calling himself 'Shaqueeta'.

19. I'm currently working on my list of top 25 greatest players ever, a list that takes into account a mixture of talent, peak, and overall resume. At this point, Shaq ranks 6th, only below Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan.

20. It's fitting that Shaq said his goodbye via twitter. He has more followers than any other player in the NBA (3,888,667 and counting), and ranks 28th in the top list of all twitter accounts. Considering that the existence of Twitter has been parallel to the downfall of Shaq's dominance, it shows how popular Shaq is off-the-court.

But the off-the-court Shaq isn't going anywhere - if anything - he's gonna be present more - analysing NBA games, doing reality shows, making rap albums, saving the world, whatever. It is the on-court Shaq that is done, and his contribution to the NBA will be dearly missed. He is the one and only one: a personality that can be so devastating and so hilarious at the same time.

In a list of top-10 greatest players ever, there can only be 10 players. And 10 out of thousands is a very small number: very rarely will we get a chance say goodbye to someone as dominating as Shaq, but the time is here and now: So goodbye, finally, to the BIG Everything.

My Pre-Season recap, if there's anyone out there to listen...

Please care about the pre-season. Please, pretty please! Look, I even went on NBA.com/India and pleaded its case. It's not not important, okay?

Well, whatever your sentiments may be for the seven or eight exhibition games played by each NBA team before the start of the regular season, you can now hold them until next October. The pre-season has concluded, the real season is only three/four days away, and peace has been restored in the galaxy, somewhat.

Still, the last few weeks haven't passed by without its set of talking points. Here are the stories that stood out from over the last few weeks of pre-season games:

The new technical rule: Be careful the next time you pump your fist in excitment or frown at the referee or raise your eyebrow to emulate The Rock. NBA refs have been given a super ridicolous new technical foul rule that will keep most of the NBA's players worried more about their body language than their defensive assignments. A bunch of critics have already emerged against this new rule and we can hope that Commissioner Stern will ease them up a little.

NBA going to Europe, Mexico, and Outdoors: The NBA continued to try new things in the pre-season, as the Lakers, Knicks, and the Timberwolves headed to Europe to play in Milan, Paris, and London. The Spurs also faced the Clippers in Mexico. And the Suns, in what is starting to look like a yearly tradition, held an outdoor game against the Mavericks.

The Teams playing well...: The Jazz have been on an absoulte tear in the pre-season, going 8-0, and so have the Magic, who have been 7-0. The Magic is no surprise: this is their THIRD STRAIGHT undefeated pre-season, and they're on a 21-0 pre-season streak. Too bad it doesn't count in conference finals games against the Celtics.
The surprise undefeated squad are the Grizzlies, who have also gone 8-0. And there are a few more surprises, because back in the East, the Cleveland Cavs are the third best team, going 6-2. Should anyone be shocked, since this has been the best regular season team over the last two years? They lost, like, just one player, right? Whatshisface whoever?
And then there's the Celtics, who are looking scary efficient, including their bench. They went 7-1. Plus, Shaq is in Boston and all things in life seem to be happy again.

... And the ones dissapointing: The Suns, last year's Western Conference finalists, lost Amar'e, and look in danger of losing their swagger, too. Then again, this is only the pre-season.

New faces making it count: The two leading scorers of the pre-season are both new faces in their squads: Amar'e in New York and LeBron in Miami. It'll be interesting to see how LeBron's scoring will be effected once Wade returns from his injury. Amar'e looks like he'll flourish with D'Antoni again.
The third leading scorer is Monta Ellis... Is this is a sign for a breakout season?

Miami-Orlando cancelled game: The NBA doesn't want LeBron, Dwight, Bosh, or Stan Van Gundy to fall on a slippery floor and hurt themselves (not too sure about Stan, actually). That is why this game was cancelled in Tampa last night. Too bad, it would've been a chance for Magic to protect their super important pre-season winning record against the new-look Heat.

Injury concerns in Miami: Wade went out about three minutes into the Big 3's debut in Miami. And now, it seems Mike Miller's gonna miss a couple of months. This is not my favourite team, but it'll still be sad to see injuries stopping what could otherwise be a historically good squad.

Rookies stepping up: The silent battle for this year's rookie of the year has already begun. Blake Griffin (injured and missed all of last season), John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins are all looking good. Should be a fun race to keep an eye on.

The Carmelo Question: Is he going to New Jersey? No he's going to New York now. No, Chicago is the best fit right now. I think he's happy in Denver.
Too much speculation, too few answers. As of now, Carmelo Anthony is still a Nugget, but things could change as soon as I finish this sentence, really. He seems to have caught the LeBron-Decision bug and look for brighter lights and bigger success. I wonder how the speculation is going to affect his game...

Lockout looming?: Dark clouds in the league ahead. There has been much discussion and debate about the player's salary agreement, and it seems right now that David Stern wants the player's salary to be dropped by a third. Will there be repurcussions? Will there be a lockout? Rajon Rondo is already saving his cash for next year.

But whatever happens next season, happens next season. In three days, the 2010-11 season tips off. I will soon have my season review up, too. Let's get ready for some games that count...

NBA Finals: Celtics, Lakers, History...

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No one expected it at mid-season, and no one in their right mind expected it when the playoffs began. Sure, the Lakers were always the favourites in the West, where the debate contiunally raged on about who would finish at second place. The East was supposed to be the Cleveland LeBrons, um, Cavaliers to lose, and if they did lose it, it was most likely going to be the Magic. Most likely.

I predicted a Cavaliers-Lakers final in February, and I predicted it again when the playoffs began around six weeks ago. The Lakers are here, the LeBrons are back home. Instead, every Laker's favourite (not) opponent the Boston Celtics, after finishing a humble fourth in the Eastern Conference seedings, beat down Wade and the Heat, LeBron and the Cavs, and Dwight Howard and the Magic to surprise everyone and reach the Finals again.

So here we are, looking over the 12th NBA Finals meeting between these two legendary franchises. I almost titled this piece "Celtics and Lakers ARE the NBA", and that wouldn't have been too far off. These two teams have won 32 of the 63 NBA championships between each other, and after this one, it will be 33 of 64. That is about 51.6 percent. They are also the last two champions, Celtics beating the Lakers in 2008, and the Lakers winning over the Magic last year. I'm feeling like its the mid-80s all over again. Bird. Magic. Pierce. Kobe. Garnett. McHale. Gasol. Abdul-Jabbar. etc. etc. etc.

But before I delve into this incredible finals match-up, let's talk about the Conference Finals a little bit. I predicted both the Celtics and Lakers to beat their opponents, and although both the series started to look like potential easy pickings, Magic and the Suns showed enough life to keep things interesting.

When the Magic took on the Celtics, I had a feeling that Celtic Ubuntu was going to be too much on the softer Magic squad. Dwight Howard is a strong player, but he is not a tough player. Celtics easily (more or less) breezed through the first three games, which were mostly a nightmare for Dwight Howard. And for Rashard Lewis (who scored 15 points TOTAL in those three games). And for Vince Carter (those missed free throws in Game 2 will haunt him forever). Jameer Nelson showed some sign of resilience, and under his lead, Magic won the fourth game in overtime, and (with the help of some dodgy refereering) took Game 5 in Orlando. Although Boston looked old and beaten, they were back up to their old tricks in Game 6 and easily closed out the series to become Eastern Conference Champions.

Rondo continued his steller play in this series, but he was helped greatly by an improved Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Pierce, specifically, is looking extremely dangerous and poised to take over the Finals. Rasheed Wallace, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis all did an awesome defensive job on Howard, and Wallace and Davis showed up on the offensive end, too. Plus, when Nate Robinson took over in Game 6, I momentarily lost my sense of reality. Nate friggin Robinson, the Knick sideshow, whose only real success has come in the Summer League and the Slam Dunk Competition, played the best 10-something minutes of his life in Game 6. And all this without my favourite Celtic Kevin Garnett playing a lot more subdued than he did in the Cavs series. The Celtics did it like they always do it - teamwork and hustle.

On to the West now, where the shooting percentages are higher, the scoreboards have more triple figures, and the courtside celebrities look better. Lakers looked great in their first two games against the Suns at home, and the Suns defense was all over the place. In Phoenix, Suns showed great resilience to make an amazing comeback and tie the series 2-2, thanks to Amar'''e, Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and a strong bench. Game 5 was the most exciting one of them all, as a fury of amazing plays from Nash brought the Suns back from a huge deficit to tie the game in the end, only to lose out to a tip in by... Ron Artest. The biggest shot of Ron Ron's career gave Lakers a crucial 3-2 lead. In the closing Game 6, Kobe, Ron Ron and the rest of the Lakers did their thing to hold the Suns' comeback and make it back to their THIRD STRAIGHT Finals.

And oh, I nearly went a whole paragraph without mentioning Kobe. 'Mamba' was amazing all series, scoring a shade below 34 ppg, and getting near triple-doubles on several occasions. Most importantly, he was clutch in nearly every win for the Lakers, especially in Game 6 where he hit dagger after dagger to silence the Suns' surge. Like Lamar Odom said, "Kobe is so good, he makes incredible normal for us." Bryant has (unsurprisingly) improved his play considerably in the playoffs and truly answered back to all those who doubted him all season.

But now comes the biggest challenge that either team has faced all playoffs. And fittingly, it happens at the game's biggest stage, the NBA Finals. And Hoopistani predicts...

Lakers vs. Celtics: Celtics in 7: I have been contemplating this result more than you think... Each game of the Conference Finals changed my opinion, each result gave me doubts, and now that these two teams prepare to see each other again, I have finally settled (sort of) the see-saw of my thoughts to decide on a prediction.

All season, I would have picked the Lakers to repeat as NBA Champions. I picked them at the start, at the mid, and near the end. Even when the Conference Finals began, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. But the Celtics kept on improving. They got better and better, and then the Lakers didn't look so strong after losing two games to the Suns, and then the Celtics looked old and battered when they lost Game 5 at Orlando, and then Kobe became godly again and Lakers won the series, and then Celtics improved their play, too.

Phew!

So to make the picture a little clearer, I'm going to compare and contrast what the two teams will be going against here, and add up their advantages...

Point Guard: Rondo vs. Fisher: Rondo has been the best player in the playoffs. Fisher hits important shots sometimes, but Rondo is going to eat him alive. ALIVE I tell you. Kobe might have to respond like he did with Russell Westbrook in the first round against the Thunder and try to stick with Rondo. I don't think it will work. Celtics

Shooting Guard: Ray Allen vs. Bryant: Oh, and these two are semi-rivals, too. Ray Allen is an amazing shooter, but Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant. Lakers

Small Forward: Pierce vs. Artest: I love Ron Ron. You don't know how much I love Ron Ron. I've always said that if Artest is in any sort of a decent squad, he will take up to a higher level. Don't ask me exactly how he does it, but it is a combination of great defense, ill-advised but sometimes important three-pointers, and his own brand of crazy Dennis-Rodman-ness. That said, the 2008 Finals MVP aka Paul Pierce aka The Truth is looking incredible right now and could well be the main main in this series. Artest will trouble him, but Pierce is better. Celtics

Power Forward: Garnett vs. Gasol: This match-up I feel is the closest and the most important of them all. So much so that, whoever dominates between these two will be the one in the winning squad. And although Gasol has been incredible all season and Garnett has not, KG has picked up where it counts, and if there is anyone who can make life hell for Gasol, it is him. KG won't score much, but he doesn't need to, for he will dominate Gasol defensively and make him want to shoot himself. Celtics

Center: Perkins vs. Bynum: Perkins is a mean man. Bynum is a nice little boy who is hurt a lot. Bynum is technically more talented, but he won't overcome Perkins. Celtics

Bench: Davis, Wallace, Tony Allen, Robinson, Finley, Daniels vs. Odom, Waltom, Farmar, Vujacic, Brown, Mbenga. Lakers bench, hands down, is much better, thanks mostly to Lamar Odom. For the Celtics bench to have a chance, they will need consistency from Rasheed Wallace and Nate Robinson, but asking that is like asking for consistency from the friggin moon. Sometimes you get it full and bright, sometimes it shoots dumb three-point air-balls. Lakers

Coach: Rivers vs. Jackson: Doc Rivers is a good coach, and has succesfully watched his plan come to good as the Celtics saved their energy for the playoffs. Phil Jackson though, is the best, perhaps the best ever. The 'Zen Master' always seems to be a step ahead of his opposition coaches, and will once again be an important factor tactically on the Laker sideline. Lakers

Health: Lakers' only issue is Andrew Bynum. Celtics have issues with everyone. Lakers

And of course, it is well known that no result in sport is as simple as stats, match-ups, and players on paper. I must add one more category here: call it heart, call it desire, will to win, the hustle... I'll just call it The Edge. And coming into the 2010 Finals, Celtics have the edge over the Lakers. They will win the loose balls, they will get more offensive rebounds, they will have the emotional runs, they have the team chemistry. Lakers have the most cold-blooded man in the world right now in Kobe, but that won't be enough of an edge. Celtics

Final score? Celtics 5 Lakers 4. I told you it's gonna be close. Celtics in 7. And it's hard to choose an MVP from this squad of numerous stars, and although Rondo and Pierce have been the go-to guys the last few rounds, I have a feeling that it will be Kevin Garnett who will be the X-Factor and the one to elevate the Celtics over a tough LA team.

Despite what I predicted all year, the Lakers will not repeat as champions, and although I believe that this will be a much tougher series for both teams than last time around, Celtics will beat the Lakers again, just like 2008.

2010 Champions: Boston Celtics
Finals MVP: Kevin Garnett

Can't wait for this series to begin. Thursday night in Lost Angeles, Friday morning on my TV in India. Lakers vs. Celtics, Part 12. Here's another chapter in the history of the NBA Finals...

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Conference Finals: And then there were four...

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Wow... that was a wierd, wierd second round in the NBA Playoffs. Sweeping was back in vogue, apparently, as the Magic, Lakers, and the Suns all went 4-0 in their respective match-ups.

And then you had the Cavs and the Celtics, an amazing series which saw stories emerge left right and centre, including LeBron James, his elbow his future with the Cavs, Spike Lee supporting the Celtics, Rajon Rondo's complete and utter destruction of the Cleveland backcourt, KG spitting, sweating, and returning to form, Paul Pierce's struggles, and of course, Jesus Shuttlesworth.

Now there are only four left, as the playoffs move to the Conference Finals, or the overall semi-finals of the NBA. Before we discuss these matchups, let's do a short recap of the previous round.

Three of the four teams that I predicted made it through, with the Celtics six game win over the Cavs being the only surprise. I'd imagined that this would've been a long series, but I would have never thought that the Celts would've dominated LeBron so thoroughly over those six games. We could talk about how often Shaq was limited, or Mo Williams was inconsistent, or no one could defend Rondo, or Jamison's mismatch with Garnett, but the weight of the blame should deservedly be on LeBron's shoulders, since he revels in most of the successes, too. Two weeks after winning the MVP, we're wondering why we ever gave it to him. Or maybe we shouldn't wonder, since the MVP curse has been around before... The playoffs are NOT the regular season, and until wins a ring, LeBron shall never be the king.
Of course, let's not forget to celebrate the resurrection of Celtic Ubuntu. They defended brilliantly as a team and attacked as a team. Rondo was unplayable, especially that brilliant 29, 18, and 13 performance in Game 4, and Garnett was back to his old ways, something that makes this team a lot more dangerous.

The other series in the East was at the opposite end of the spectrum: the Magic not only swept the Hawks, but they did it in the most dominating way possible. On average, Orlando won each game by more than 25 points! Hawks looked outmatched in each department, and the Magic continue to stride confidently with great team effort after playing two of the easier teams in the playoffs this year. Jameer Nelson in particular has been on fire. The team will face their true test in the Conference Finals now.

Lakers had a surprisingly easy time against Jazz; I mean, I was envisioning a Laker victory, but I didn't think it would come in four games. Still, the Jazz did the best they could - Lakers, with Gasol, Bynum, and Odom, had just too much length in them. And Kobe showed up in all of the close encounters to safely steer his team through. The Thunder series has helped him resurrect the Black Mamba, who is continuing to look extremely dangerous this post-season.

Finally, who the hell thought this would happen? Suns 4, Spurs 0? WhatwhatWHAT???!!! Now, I thought I was being bold when I predicted a Suns victory in 7, but a sweep? Over the team that has basically owned them for years? Over the most dominant playoff team in the last decade? Wow... The Spurs NEVER get swept. Especially by the Suns... Well, for the first time the Steve Nash Suns have actually been underdogs this season, and the performance of Nash (despite the swollen right eye in Game 4) and Amar'''e, coupled with amazing contributions from Grant Hill, Channing Frye, Louis Amundson, and oh, that memorable fourth quarter by Goran Dragic, the Suns have finally buried their demons and moved past the Spurs... on to the next round...

So, here are my previews for the Conference Finals...

Celtics vs. Magic: Celtics in 7 - I believe in the 'Ubuntu' now. Watching the Celtics destroy the best team in the league with hardcore defence, great shooting, post-play, and most importantly, team chemistry, has brought back my faith in the team. Celtics are a team that are only getting better as the postseason progresses, and the Big 4 are going to be a tough match-up for the Magic. Only, the Magic themselves are an unstoppable bunch this year, winning games in every way unimaginable. There has not been a single chink their armour in the playoffs so far. Dwight Howard vs. Garnett is going to be an interesting match-up. So will Vince Carter vs. Paul Pierce. I think the key will again lie with Rajon Rondo, who will have to face up against Jameer Nelson in a classic point-guard battle. This series starts in three days, giving the Celtics very little time to recover from their emotional second round against the Cavs, but I feel that the team will continue to ride their momentum and persistence become Eastern Conference Champions by overcoming a very good Magic team in seven.

Lakers vs. Suns: Lakers in 6 - Ooh... Kobe and Lakers keep talking about revenge. Revenge from three/four years ago when the Suns twice beat the Gasol-less Lakers in the early rounds of the playoffs. Kobe will remember being 3-1 up, he'll remember Raja Bell, and he'll remember giving up in the 4th quarter to prove a point of Game 7 of the 2006 series.
But all that is history now. The Lakers are reigning champions, and the Suns are looking better (and more importantly, tougher) than they ever have before. This will be a great series because Nash and Kobe are two of the toughest competitors in the league. In the end, the Lakers length will have the advantage, and Gasol will once again be the turning point. Look for an intriguing battle between Pau and Amar'''e to define this series, which Lakers will eventually win in six games to become Western Conference Champions.
Speaking of Suns-Lakers, I saw this game live on TV four years ago. Still gives me the shivers: Kobe hits one of the clutchest shots I have EVER seen.



So, Hoopistani predicts that the Finals this year will be repeat of 2008 - Celtics and Lakers again. What are your thoughts?

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