I’m still impressed.

Motivation is a great tool for inevitable success.

I don’t see the rush. The Lakers are going to be just fine. Now, the Cavaliers are a different story. They might have to play zone for the rest of the season.

KevDog:

I find the ref stuff interesting in that I am always interested in what it takes for someone to break the code. People have said as much about NBA games forever. It simply illuminates the extent to which David Stern actually condones, endorses and profits from this structure.

In this environment, who is legit?

Well, in order for them to be 20-1, they now have to win 19 in a row.

I really hate this playing in the summer mess.

I was glad that Cuban told Dirk no. I hate seeing these guys banged up before the season and looking tired by game 40.

Oh and the comments from the book don’t surprise me. I been saying that about the NBA, NFL and MLB for years.

I will save those comments however for future reference.

A couple of other thoughts…….

It’s going to be hard for LeBron to beat out Kobe this year. LeBron’s team has some serious flaws and has a need to get fully adjusted. I look for them to win 56-58 or so games. Kobe’s team will win 68-73. Only D-Wade having a spectacular year and leading the Heat to 50 wins can give Kobe some run, but if the Lakers win 70, it’s all over.

Not that I give a fuck about the award, just pointing out how things are.

Anyone catch the thing about the crooked NBA ref? Looks like all of we conspiracy theorists were at least partially and probably mostly right.

Here’s an excerpt from Tim Donaghy’s book

“And then there was the ongoing feud between Javie and 76ers superstar Allen Iverson. The rift was so bad that Philadelphia general manager Billy King often called the league office to complain about Javie’s treatment of Iverson during a game.

Iverson was eventually traded to Denver, and in his first game against his former team, he was tossed after two technicals. Afterward, Iverson implied Javie had a grudge against him, saying, “I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out. His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn’t say anything anyway. It’s been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad.” The league fined Iverson $25,000 for his comments, but most of the league referees thought the punishment was too lenient and were upset he wasn’t suspended. As a result, we collectively decided to dispense a little justice of our own, sticking it to Iverson whenever we could.

Shortly after the Javie-Iverson incident, I worked a Jazz-Nuggets contest in Denver on January 6, 2007. During the pregame meeting, my fellow referees Bernie Fryer and Gary Zielinski agreed that we were going to strictly enforce the palming rule against Iverson. Palming the ball was something Iverson loved to do, but if he so much as came close to a palm, we were going to blow the whistle. Obviously, our actions were in direct retaliation for Iverson’s rant against Javie. True to form, I immediately excused myself and made an important phone call.

Sticking to our pregame pledge, each of us whistled Iverson for palming in the first quarter-we all wanted in on the fun. The violations seemed to affect Iverson’s rhythm and he played terribly that night, shooting 5-for-19 with five turnovers. After getting repeatedly whistled all night long, Iverson approached me in an act of submission.

“How long am I going to be punished for Javie?” he quietly inquired.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Allen,” I responded.”

Notice how he basically shows how crooked the officials are and how they referee players on how much or how little they like them? Now notice how that NAZI Stern is trying to shut it down….

“During the process of editing and vetting the manuscript, which Triumph received from Donaghy in the spring, Random House and its imprint made the joint decision to cancel the book out of “concerns over potential liability,” according to an e-mail from a Triumph representative.

Pat Berdan, a senior consultant at Executive Prison Consultants and Donaghy’s liaison to the publisher, said that the decision not to publish the book came two weeks ago. He said it was the result of a threat of legal action by the NBA.

“Somehow, the NBA got wind of the project and let Random House know in a threatening-type correspondence that they would object to the publication of such a book and they threatened that they would sue if they did go ahead and do that,” said Berdan, who didn’t see any letters from the NBA. “Random House considered that and … just pulled the plug on it.”"

Shit is as rigged and crooked as rigged and crooked can be. Fuck David Stern and the NBA machine.

And like I said this summer the key is Gasol’s health…….all that playing in europe in the summer is going to catch up with him.

He broke his finger this summer and now has a hamstring pull.

It’s something to watch in person. No other team does it quite as well. I was interested how Rasheed’s signing would impact the defense.

I’ll have our preview posted on Friday.

Just received Magic and Bird’s book When the Game Was Ours in the mail. I speak to them both on November 2. I hope it’s more than the rift between Zeke and Magic. We’ll see.

The Celtics and Lakers are easily the class of the league and I’d be shocked if they don’t meet in the finals. I expect both of those teams to challenge the Bulls’ 72 win total with the lakers getting there.

I expect the Lakers to beat the Celtics in 6 becuase of two reasons, they will have the best player on the court in Kobe and while the Celts have as MUCH talent and depth, the Lakers have Youth and most importantly much more versatile players.