Archive for May, 2009
Can the Lakers finish off the Nuggets?
Friday, May 29th, 2009
The Lakers are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals.
The 2009 NBA Playoffs just keep on getting better and better each day. We already know that the Cavaliers have postponed the inevitable when they defeated Orlando in Game 5 to keep their season alive. In the West, well, the Lakers on Friday have the opportunity to do what the Magic failed at in Cleveland, finish off the competition.
You read it, the NBA Playoffs continue this Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers, up 3-2 in the 2009 NBA Western Conference Finals, will have a chance to return to the NBA Finals by finishing off the Denver Nuggets. However, since the Nuggets will be home for Game 6, it won’t be easy.
The Denver Nuggets need this elimination game to be played on their own floor too since every bad call imaginable in basketball was slapped on them in Los Angeles. Well, that’s what some of the Nuggets claim anyway.
According to one Nuggets player who refuses to identify himself for fear of retribution from the league, the Los Angeles Lakers paid the referees officiating Game 5 in Los Angeles to give them the game and the 3-2 advantage.
‘’The Lakers paid $50,000 to win that game. They got their money’s worth.’’
The Nuggets complaining about the officiating after losing a playoff game doesn’t surprise me since it was only a few days ago when it was the Lakers who were playing the blame game on the referees after losing to the Nuggets, 120-101, in Game 4.
Yep, the Lakers were not so happy about that one. Lakers coach Phil Jackson and the entire Lakers organization were even fined $50,000 by the NBA for complaining about the calls made in Game 4.
Game 6 should be a nice game. Hopefully…
SBG Global offers betting on the UFC
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
SBG Global has decided that it’s about time for them to tap (PUN INTENDED) into the MMA’s target market.
You read it, SBG Global is now letting their clients bet on the UFC and place their bets on some of the most gruesome battles that will be waged inside the Octagon.
And as far as the biggest one coming in a few weeks, the Octagon is being prepared for a collision between the newly crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida and Quinton ‘’Rampage’’ Jackson.
Yep, after Lyoto Machida shocked the world last weekend by beating Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight title, he now has this monster in Quinton ‘’Rampage’’ Jackson looking to put an abrupt end to his reign on top of the division. And while Machida may have put to rest all the talk that he’s a boring fighter when he defeated Evans, for Rampage Jackson, he’s still BORING.
Rampage Jackson said, ‘’Lyoto is a weird fighter. He’s kind of boring. I think that style works for him, the way he makes people run after him. I mean, he’s good, he’s undefeated, but he’s boring. If I was the promoter of a show I wouldn’t have guys like that fighting on my show.’’
Of course, current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is no pushover.
Like what Rampage Jackson acknowledged, Machida IS undefeated. And while he may be boring to some, Machida has put up that undefeated streak by proving everybody wrong time and time again. He has also proven that an unbeaten fighter can continue to improve. If that doesn’t excite Jackson or any bona fide fight fan, then I don’t know what will.
But then again, any bona fide fight fan should…
Can Cleveland beat Orlando in Game 5?
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
The Cavs may have finally gotten the wakeup call they needed.
For the second time in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Orlando Magic outplayed the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning Game 3, 99-89 to take the 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It seems it was only yesterday when the Cleveland Cavaliers were dominating people, marching on to the Conference Finals after sweeping the first two best of seven series wars placed in front of them.
Nobody, at least basketball fans from Cleveland anyway, thought that the Cavaliers will be down 2-1 after the first three games of the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Heck, they probably never anticipated that they’ll be down 2-1 to the Magic since they were probably anticipating a Cleveland – Boston match-up in the playoffs all season.
Yes, the Orlando Magic, after all their struggles in the first two rounds of the postseason, have simply been phenomenal against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Imagine this, after stunning the Cavaliers in Cleveland, winning Game 1, 107-106, to steal homecourt, the Magic could’ve been easily up 3-0 if it wasn’t for that dramatic three-point shot LeBron James made at the buzzer in Game 2. After winning Game 3 by a handful, 99-89, the Magic now has this series under control and the Cavaliers, on the ropes.
So what does Cleveland have to do to tie this series at two games apiece? Easy. The Cavs need to match Orlando’s physicality. If they don’t, they might see Mo Williams busted open again.
Or worse, they might see their chances of…
Champions League Final: Man-U V Barca
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Barcelona FC clashing against Manchester United in the final of the UEFA Champions League was something that everyone was dreaming about.
Manchester United advanced to the 2009 UEFA Champions League final in Rome after convincingly beating Arsenal 4-1 on aggregate. The Red Devils had to wait 24 hours after triumphing at the Emirates to know who will be their opponents come May 27 at the Stadio Olimpico.
And with all the controversy one could ever think of, it was revealed to be Pep Guardiola’s Catalan Giants FC Barcelona, after the Blaugrana controversially ousted Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Barcelona and Manchester United are two clubs from two different countries with a completely different culture all together. However, history shows that as much as they have dissimilarities, they also have similarities, which give this UEFA Champions League final a real flavor of glamor and style.
This will be a battle between the young and the old, the inexperienced one and the wise one, the great warrior and the new combatant.
Barcelona’s 38-year-old coach Pep Guardiola is the new ‘kid’ on the block. The former Barcelona captain jumped a big step from being the manager of the club’s reserve team to coaching the senior side at a time when the Catalans were desperately searching for some fire in the pot.
On the other hand, Man-U’s Sir Alex Ferguson, 67, is Europe’s most experienced manager after winning everything there is to win with Manchester United. Last year, the Red Devils beat Barcelona, managed by Frank Rikjaard at the time, as they marched into the final where they ultimately beat Chelsea to clinch the trophy in style.
Ferguson has been with the Red Devils for more than 20 years now, but his desire to achieve success and break records has pushed him all the way to yet an impressive campaign this season as well.
This Manchester United – FC Barcelona fixture for the Champions League title is definitely a clash that will determine who the best player is between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. This hot debate has long been running but it might come to an end on May 27, when Europe’s two best clubs meet each other in Rome.
Lionel Messi has shown his best form for…
Can Cleveland beat Orlando in Game 2?
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
The Cavaliers finally lost one.
In what has been a stunning display of domination by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, they finally lost their first playoff game, losing 107-106 to the no.3 seed Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
It was probably one of the most improbable of wins. If you haven’t been watching these playoffs lately, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been so dominant that they were already a shoo-in for the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Finals as early as the first round.
After sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping both the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers had more than enough time to prepare for whichever team will come out of the East to challenge them. When the Orlando Magic officially dethroned the Boston Celtics in seven games, the Cavaliers were clearly not ready for them just yet.
When a team had THAT much time away from the court like the Cleveland Cavaliers did, the last thing you want when you get back on the floor are delays that can get you out of your rhythm. When the Orlando Magic took the floor of the Quicken Loans Arena, Dwight Howard showed just how good he really is, THAT and he kept the Cavaliers off their rhythm. All that in the opening minutes of Game 1.
Thanks to Dwight Howard ferociously slamming the ball down early in the first quarter, the 24-second shot clock above the rim was knocked off and the game had to be stopped for at least eight minutes.
Those precious eight minutes probably took any semblance of a rhythm LeBron James and his Cavaliers had early in Game 1.
The Cavaliers did build a 15-point lead at halftime but since Orlando was MAGIC, that 15-point lead MAGICALLY disappeared as Orlando was able to overcome LeBron James’ 49-point night to take the early 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 2 is scheduled this Friday still in…
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