There was a time not long ago when many said the Houston Rockets had folded up their tent in their playoff match-up against the LA Clippers. They had tapped out and accepted the inevitable defeat that was sure to come. But then something strange happened. The Rockets have come roaring back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series at 3 all, with the deciding game 7 to be held in Houston. Just last night, they blistered Steve Ballmer's $2 billion Clips in their own building. Perhaps somewhere, Donald Sterling chuckled.
Idle thought: Along the way, Clips guard Chris Paul was seen high-fiving the same Steve Ballmer after he had made a successful play. The TV announcer said CP3, or is that C3PO -- whatever -- was celebrating with his owner. Owner? An interesting analogy, considering Paul is black and Ballmer is white. One can't be too careful about such things these days, lest the media hounds go into a frenzy over some concocted "slavery" issue. Then again, Paul is making mega-millions of dollars a year between playing hoops and TV commercials, and the Staples Center isn't exactly a plantation.
Who will win Game 7? Good luck figuring that out until it happens. Both teams have shown they are capable of great and not-so-good play both at home and on the opponent's court. We'll find out in a couple days.
In the East, Lebron James and the Cavaliers finally dispatched the Chicago Bulls to move on to the conference finals. It's surprising and it's not. Surprising because the Cavs lost the services of Kevin Love a while back, but not-so-much considering the Bulls always seem to find a way to be underachievers despite their wealth of talent.
Bulls' head coach Tom Thibodeau is rumored to be a candidate for the same job in another city next year. Perhaps New Orleans or Orlando, where both recently fired their own head coaches. Though he still has two years remaining on his contract and the solid support of his players, TT's differences with the Bulls front office have been apparent for quite some time.
These days, it's not unheard of for a team to trade their head coach. And let's face it -- as Lebron and the rebuilt Cavs continue to gel more and more in the future, the odds of the Bulls conquering their neighbors to the east in the playoffs to get to the Finals will become longer and longer.
Look at it this way. If you're the one calling the shots in the Chicago front office -- what would you do? You can trade your coach to, say, the Pelicans and likely get a couple quality draft picks in return. Thibodeau's replacement at likely a lesser salary becomes almost a moot point. Chances are, you're going to play second fiddle to the Cavs for the next few years anyway -- so why not?
From Thibodeau's point of view it makes sense as well. If the Pelicans got him as their next head coach, they would honor the final two years of his former Chicago contract and likely tack on two or three more years in their OWN contract. Granted, given the brutal competition in the western conference, chances are slim to none the Pelicans would compete for an NBA title any year soon.
But if I'm a 57 year old TT, an east coast native (Connecticut), leaving Chicago to go to the warm sunny climes of someplace like New Orleans or Orlando with the next 5 years of my life guaranteeed at mega-bucks per annum certainly wouldn't be the worst scenario in the world. Especially considering the NBA season is mostly played during the winter months. Where would you rather spend most of your time in January? Chicago, the Big Easy, or down the road from Disneyworld? If you can't win a championship anyway, then why not go where the weather is infinitely nicer during the season? Win or lose, five more years at, say, $5 million a pop gets him to age 62. Even after taxes, that's a tidy little sum to have as a retirement nest egg. And then Social Security kicks in. Perfect.
Back to the match-ups. Despite their inept head coach, look for the Cavs to make the Finals. It's doubtful either Atlanta or Washington are capable of stopping them. Lebron's on another mission.
Whoever survives the Houston/LA roller coaster will likely have Golden State waiting for them. All three have different styles of play, and that series will be must see.
Idle thought II: Former Detroit Piston and 2004 NBA champion Chauncey Billups made an interesting point on the air recently. Mr. Big Shot stated that in order for a team to become champions, they must first have their hearts broken by getting oh-so-close, only to lose. They learn from it, get tougher, and come back even hungrier the next year. Thing is, consider the teams this year. Houston hasn't won a title in decades. Nor has Golden State. The Clips have never even made it to the Finals. The Cavs are a totally different team since Lebron's first go-round with them many moons ago, so that doesn't count. One way or the other, some "new blood" is going to claim the NBA title in a few weeks.
And wouldn't it be something if it was the Atlanta Hawks? Despite their outstanding record, they've flown under the radar all year and continue to do so in the playoffs. These guys are really good too.
How about the Memphis Grizzlies coming back to knock off Golden State?
Stranger things have happened. I think......
Nah.
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