It’s Now Or Never …… !

Tonight we’ll either see the Cleveland Cavaliers erase a 3-2 deficit . Or quite possibly we will see the Orlando Magic prevail and make their second appearance in the NBA Finals.

James makes his showman like entrance prior to game five of the Eastern Conference Finals played at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.The Cavaliers would go on to defeat the Orlando Magic and as we enter tonight's game six being played at the Amway Arena in Orlando. The Magic leads the series 3-2 in the best of seven games series.picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Gregory Shamus............

Such are the scenarios that are in place as the Eastern Conference Finals’ series makes it way to something of a culmination. Whoever wins out will have the undoubted pleasure of meeting the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals.

And for the Lakers this’ll be their thirtieth appearance in the game’s showpiece event. And as strange as it may seem these finals on appearance only may well be what the league has been harboring for. Inasmuch as last year’s finals proved to be something of a ratings’ bonanza. The likelihood of a Cavaliers’ Lakers’ matchup on paper alone makes it a dream scenario for the NBA. The game’s two most prized and talked about athletes in Kobe Bryant and LeBron James meeting each in these finals would create a buzz for the sport . And on the global stage it’d create the sheer pizzaz not seen since team USA’s appearance at the Beijing Olympics.

Howard reacts to the loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jesee D Garrabant ......

The Magic were quite possibly viewed as spoilers prior to the start of this series. But if anything it has Orlando who has made this series on appearance alone something well worth watching. OK one can surmise that James and his heroics have also made the series electrifying. But if anything it has been the Cavaliers in some ways who’ve proven to be something of a disappointment.

The Cavaliers are the same 66 win team that swept its way through the earliers rounds of the playoffs. But in the conference finals they’ve been but a shell of themselves. They are clearly not the team that ran amok in the regular season posting an incredible 39-2 home record.

Now inspite of this all we could well be on the verge of seeing the Cavaliers bow out of the postseason. But that’d be predicated upon the Magic playing at a high caliber. And after the game 5 defeat whereby they lost 112-102 in game that they had within their grasp. Only to see LeBron James play the sort game that tend to make postseason legends out of a player when they put on displays such as we’ve witnessed. As if the game three heroics weren’t enough as it was already.

If James is allowed to unleash such devastation once again . Then we could well be seeing the Magic being placed in the unenviable position of having to fight a resurgent Cavaliers’ team.
The premise here would be that all of the desires of the NBA’s hierarchy would be fulfilled . “Exit stage left the Magic should they fail.”

Squaring the series at three games apiece would leave us all looking to see the drama unfold in a tantalizing game seven with so much at stake. The Magic prevails and we’ll see them facing off against the much lauded Los Angeles Lakers for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Kobe Bryant and Laker' coach Phil Jackson celebrate after the team's triumph in game six of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. In defeating the Nuggets the Lakers advances to the NBA Finals. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Scott Richardson .....

A game seven drama would in many ways elicit the comeback made by the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the ALCS of 2003. As memorable as that series was and what culminated from it in the end. Were Cleveland to equal that particular feat then we may well be talking about having witnessed one of the great sporting comebacks in recent memory.

But in just merely discussing it . We can only surmise that whatever transpires tonight. One way or another both teams’ll have to step up to the plate. It’s going to be about all or nothing . Because at the end of it all neither team really wants to be on the outside looking in at the end of it all.

With so much stake it has to be now or never for both teams .

Pre Game Analysis: Cavs @ Magic – Game 6

The Magic can end it. They can end it now, or end it in 7. Or, the Cavs can stage a very nice 1-3 series comeback, make LeBron a real king, and give David Stern exactly what he wants. The Magic could also prove that their to soft to even be in this game. Rather, they could prove that these refs are an embarrassment to basketball.  So much to prove, only 1 or 2 games to prove.

Keys to the game

Cavs 

1. Take it to ‘em!- Run at ’em! Foul ‘em! Just plain smash ‘em!…All you got to do…Their fouling you every trip.
2. Foul Watch- Quit fouling them possession. Foul Howard to slow him down. Just watch what you do against every else. Force Howard to make his points at the line. Still, you have to be careful with your foul numbers.
3. Play the same- Have last games’ gameplan, until the Magic can stop it. Also, stay with your game, don’t get ahead of yourself and let Orlando back in the game,show that you are superior to them.

Magic

1. Stay out of foul trouble- I don’t know about you, but I knew game 5 was over when Howard fouled out. So keep him out of trouble. Find some way. You aggressiveness still must be there, just watch it. Without Howard, you simply can’t win.
2. Come out ready- Quit giving Cleveland the early jumps in the game! Step out on the court, ready to play some ball. If you didn’t have to fight back, you wouldn’t be so worn out right now.

*Sorry about the keys to the game, their a little weak. Just didn’t want to be repetitive, and after the same game, 6 times, it’s hard not to be.*

So What Now For Phil …..?

Well Phil Jackson has led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 5th appearance in the NBA Finals under his tenure. And Jackson as a coach will be seeking his tenth NBA title as a coach and his eleventh overall.

James Worthy seen here with the Lakers' players after their triumph ove the Denver Nuggets having closed out the series and secure a berth in the NBA Finals . The team is unaware as to who their opponents will be. The trophy presentation was made in Denver at the Pepsi Center .

picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Andrew D Bernstein…

Having won a championship as a player with the New York Knicks. The Zen Master as he’s come to be known now seeks to surpass the number of titles won by Red Auerbach as coach of the Boston Celtics.

Jackson for his part has been nonchalant as he’s guided the Lakers in what some might say has been his best coaching job done in years. Last year as we know the Lakers succumbed to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Where they fail to show us what many had thought they were capable of doing. If anything though they were up against an inspired Celtics’ team led by their triumvirate of stars in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Jackson and his coaching staff intently watch a Lakers' game during the regular season . picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Phillip Booth ................

This time around for the Lakers for what will be their thirtieth appearance in the NBA’s showcase. They are unaware as to who their opponent will be. At this juncture the Eastern Conference Finals has yet to reach its culmination between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic. And though the Magic holds a 3-2 lead in the best of seven game series. The momentum now seems to be with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Especially as LeBron James now has that look of the eye of the tiger within his eyes.

James for his part has willed his team to victory . And has raised the level of expectation amongst the home fans that they’re now quite capable of erasing this deficit altogether. The Orlando Magic for their part may well have other ideas on the subject itself. The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard for his part has ran afoul of the officials throughout the series to the extent that the player now has to watch how he plays and his focus on the series as it reaches its culmination.

And as the events now unfold it will be very interesting to see how this particular series plays itself out. The concensus is that the most desired opponent that the fans seek and that of the ESPN/ABC network would desire to see , would be that of the Lakers facing the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. If nothing else than other to see Kobe Bryant and LeBron James face off against one another. Many are of the opinion that this would bring back the days of the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. And no doubt it’d create a ratings bonanza for the network and their advertizing patrons.

As much as the fans of the NBA desire to see a matchup of this magnitude should it materialize. The fans of both franchises would be in for a definite treat that would no doubt create a great deal of conversation between the two legions of fans. As they debate which is the better team and who’s more likely win the NBA title and raise the Larry O’Brien trophy aloft to signify that their ultimate goal has been reached.

The season has been a fortuitous one for the Lakers. As from the beginning they were seen as the prohibitive favorites to win the title outright. They secured the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. And though their overall play wasn’t of the highest standard one would’ve come to expect. They were able to do enough to make it through the earlier rounds without too much of a stern test. However if there was anything that was indicative as to how one could view the Lakers in the playoffs. Then it was their lack of cohesiveness as a unit. Inconsistency was the norm for much of the postseaon.

Lakers: Questions Answered

A couple of weeks ago during the Utah series, I wrote a piece questioning whether the Lakers had the mental toughness and determination to win their 15th NBA championship. I mentioned that the Lakers will not be tested until they face a tougher opponent. Enter the Denver Nuggets. No disrespect to the Rockets, but I always felt that the Lakers played to their level and did not take them seriously after Yao Ming went down with an injury. However, with the Nuggets, things were different, and Kobe and Co. knew that right from the start. That was evident as the Lakers played well throughout the Western Conference Finals. Most games were close and their lopsided loss in Game 4 was not due to the same reasons that they lost Game 4 and Game 6 at Houston. Knowing the Nuggets were a worthy opponent, the whole team had to regroup and raise their game to another level. Tonight they did that and answered many critics by beating the Denver Nuggets 119-92 in 6 games to advance to the franchise’s 30th NBA Finals appearance.

By the end of the Denver series, the Lakers not only came out as Western Conference Champions, but as a group that endured challenges and rose to the occasion to accept and answer those challenges. The Denver Nuggets were one of the best teams in the playoffs entering the conference finals. They had won 16 consecutive home games and had not lost at the Pepsi Center since March 9. Putting that into the equation, many thought Denver was the better and more talented team and picked them to beat the Lakers.

Things did not look great when both the Lakers and the Nuggets were evenly matched in the first 2 games of the series, especially when Denver stole Game 2. As the Nuggets had the upper hand in the series heading into Game 3, the Lakers did what they have done throughout the postseason: answer back. Winning Game 3 put the pressure on Denver to win Game 4, which they did in a solid way. All this happened with mainly Kobe and Gasol playing big for the Lakers. Then came Game 5, which shifted the series and gave Denver a scare of how good this Lakers squad can be. The hero of that game was Lamar Odom, who with a badly bruised back attacked, defended, and stayed focused without making any excuses.

The big question many were wondering is if the Lakers’s supporting cast would show up for consecutive games. Keep in mind that no team had won back to back games in this series. At home, Denver was 7-1 in the postseason before Game 6 and 23-1 since March 9. That stat was countered as L.A. had the best road record in the season. And tonight that came into play in a big way. Not only did the Lakers win in Game 6, they did in a perfect fashion. From the onset you could tell the game was in L.A.’s favor as the role players were getting involved, especially Trevor Ariza. The way Denver decided to defend the Lakers hurt them all night. Lamar Odom showed up once again and had a great all around game. What impressed me the most was the way Luke Walton played tonight. When Ariza picked up his 4th personal foul, I wondered if the game would shift in Denver’s favor. That was not the case tonight as Luke played his best game of the playoffs. With the Lakers playing an inside-out game and everyone clicking, the Mamba delivered the closing act and sent the Nuggets on vacation.

This was an important win. The Lakers are banged up and this allows them to get several days of rest. More importantly, it gives them confidence that they can hang with the better teams. They are virtually unstoppable if they play Lakers basketball. In addition to that, it answered my question of their lack of mental toughness. It seems that this team is peaking at the right time just like the Boston Celtics did in last year’s playoffs. If this kind of effort and focus continues, look for the men in purple and gold to pop the champagnes in mid June.

Post Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets–Game 6

                                                                                                          119  92                                                                                                                                           

With a dazzling combination of outside shooting, dunks and hook shots, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets on Friday night in route to a 119-92 victory culminating in their 2nd straight trip to the NBA Finals. Leading the way with his leadership and playmaking was none other than 07-08 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. Bryant might have had his best all around game in this series as he scored 35 pts while adding 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Power forward Pau Gasol added 20, 12 and 6 while Trevor Ariza continued his great postseason run with 17 pts on 7-9 shooting from the field. And for the first time all postseason, Lamar Odom showed up in back-to-back games as he led the Laker bench with 20 pts and 8 boards. All this led to the Lakers playing their best and most complete game of the series as they held the Nuggets at bay from start to finish.

Turning Point of the Game: Kobe Bryant scored 11 points in a decisive 21-7 Laker run over the final 6:37 of the second period that turned a one point defecit into a 53-40 halftime lead. The run took the buzz out of the Nugget fans and frankly took the air out of the Nuggets, who did not respond to the adversity of being down double digits in an elimination game. Denver began to throw up wild jump shots and played without poise while Kobe and his teammates steadily increased their lead to 18, then 21, and finally 27 points late in the 4th.

Player of the Game: For the second straight game, this title goes to Kobe, who was unstoppable all game. He could have scored 50 if he wanted to, but instead looked  for his teammates all night resulting in 10 assists for Bryant. The Lakers had five players score in double figures including four who had 17 pts or more. When the Lakers have this much balance in their scoring, no one will be able to beat them. Kobe’s unselfishness was evident from the start and he finished  12-20 from the field with 2 baskets from behind the arc and 9-9 shooting from the foul line. The Lakers had a ridiculous  plus 31 point differential when Bryant was on the court, which summarizes his night up well.

Key Stat from Game 6: Coming into Game 6, the Lakers had shot a modest 74% from the free throw line in the series against Denver. Well on Friday Night at the Pepsi Center, LA shot a perfect 24-24 from the foul line. Championship teams must shoot well from the line and the Lakers proved they are a very good free throw shooting team, led by Kobe, who is making over 90% of his free throws in the NBA playoffs. Also, LA was hitting on just 33% of its 3pt. attempts vs. Denver but in Game 6, they knocked down 9-16, good for 56.3%

One more thing. Denver should be proud of the way they played throughout the entire 2008-2009 season. They finally won a playoff series and reached the conference finals for the first time since 1995. But they will regret their lack of poise late in games in the series against LA and they did not play smart on numerous occasions. They had too many stupid fouls and technicals and took many bad shots a recipe for defeat against a confident, experienced Laker team. But expect Denver to retool and be in the hunt next year.

Pre-Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets – Game 6

    Will the Los Angeles Lakers punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the 30^th time tonight? Will the Denver Nuggets force a game 7 and keep their dreams of their first ever trip to the finals alive? We’ll most likely know by 9:30pm pt. In what has been a compelling series through 5 games between two superstars (Bryant, Anthony). It was the role players that had a hand in the last two victories for their respective teams. What to look for tonight.

    For the Los Angeles Lakers, if Lamar Odom plays the way he played on Wednesday in game 5 you can put the Lakers in the win column. When Odom is on his game the Lakers are near impossible to beat; the problem is he does not show up like that often enough which is what’s so frustrating for Lakers fans. In my pre-game report for game 5 I mentioned that the Lakers big men (Odom, Gasol, Bynum) needed to show up in order for the Lakers to get a victory, and show up they did. In that game Lamar ended up pulling in 14 rebounds and 4 blocks to go along with his 19 points (off the bench). Pau grabbed 10 to go along with his 5 blocks. If the Lakers Bigs can show up like that tonight in Denver they will be putting themselves in prime position to capture the Western Conference crown.

    It also did not hurt to see the other Lakers role players chip in and help out (Derek Fisher included). Game six will be held in Denver so these same role players may not be able to put out the same type of production without out the comfort of the home crowd, but if they can at least put out the same effort, Kobe will be able to bring them home.

    The Nuggets are back in confines of their own home. That means that J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Dahntay Jones, and Chris Andersen will play much more relaxed and energetic. The last time the Nuggets role players got involved they came away with a 19 point victory. This time around Carmelo Anthony will not be hindered by a stomach virus, and will be able to be the prolific scorer that he is. But if I’m the Nuggets I would make sure that I did not forget about my role players. That’s where Chauncey Billups will come into play. Chauncey has been in this position many times over; he knows what it takes to get to the next level especially when facing elimination. He saw what happened in their game 4 19 point victory, so I’m sure he’ll see to it that he get’s others involved, and then close it out if need be.

    In game 5 the Nuggets doubled and tripled Kobe frequently which allowed open looks for every other Laker that was on the court. The Nuggets recognized that and will try and keep the role players from helping their superstar out. They know Kobe can go off at anytime regardless of how many people are guarding him, it’s the role players that they need not to get involved or it could spell trouble for them and an end to their fantastic season.

                Key Matchup

Lakers role players vs. Nuggets role players:

    We all know that Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant will get theirs. This game is going to come down to whichever team can keep the other team’s role players at bay. Like I said it’s a home game for Denver so it’s going to be a lot harder to keep them from going off, but it can be done, I mean they are role players for a reason. Plain and simple, if Lamar Odom has a chance to go off the Lakers will have a game 6 victory and another trip to the NBA Finals.

Reports Of Our Imminent Death Were Vastly Exaggerated

So the  Cleveland  Cavaliers   live  to  fight another  day ?  And  not  a  moment  too  soon  for that  matter  !   Had they succumbed  to  defeat   at the hands  of the  Orlando  Magic.   Then  it’d  have   proven  to be   of  great  embarrassment to  the NBA  and  to  the   Cavaliers’   fans  and  their  organization  as  a  whole.

James center circle speaks to his teammates prior to last night's game against the Orlando Magic. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Gregory Shamus ............

Now  we  go  on  to  see  whether or  not  they  can  indeed  still  erase  the  deficit  (3-2)  in  the  series  and  win  it  outright.   There’s  a  burgeoning  belief  amongst their  fans that they’re  still  capable  of  doing  this.   And  quite   possibly  as  well   amongst   a  growing  number  of  fans  around the  NBA .  

James looking to make an offensive play as he shields the ball from the Magic's Rafer Alston during the game. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Gregory Shamus ................

 If nothing  else   it’s  more about  the  ever  growing  possibility  of  seeing  a   Lakers’   Cavaliers’  matchup   in the  NBA  Finals.    Most  certainly   it’s  the  desire  of the  NBA  hierarchy   more  than  anything  else.    David  Stern   and  his   hierarchy   haven’t  exactly  shied  away  from this  but  nor  have  they  openly discussed  it  in  public.  As it’d be viewed  as  being   discourteous  to  the  likes  of the  Orlando   Magic  and   Denver  Nuggets.  

Last  night’s   fifth  game in this  best  of  seven  series’  Eastern  Conference  Finals   has  proven  if  anything  that the  Cavaliers   still   has  some  fight left  within them.    Much  of  it  however comes  from   the  fact that  the  team’s  All  Star  and  league  MVP  LeBron  James  is  unwillingly  to  give  up without  a  fight  and  shedding   every   last  drop  of blood  within  his   athletic   frame.   And  once  again  he’s proving  why  this  team  is  but a  shell   of  itself  without  him  on the floor at  all  times.

James looks to make the layup while evading the defensive presence of the Magic's Dwight Howard. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Gregory Shamus .....................

In defeating   the  Magic  112-102   to bring the  team from the  brink  of defeat  in  the  series.    James   willed  himself   and  the  team  on .   But  most   of  all   not to   allow  the   Orlando  Magic  to  grab  a  victory   from  the  jaws of   defeat.   James  led all  scorers   on the  Cavaliers’   team  and  he  was  ably   supported  by a  trio  of  teammates  in Delonte’  West,  Mo  Williams  and  Zydrunas  Ilgauskas   who  scored  a combined 53  points   in  addition  to  the  37   scored   by  James ,  himself.  However once  again the  bench  of  the   Cavaliers   offered  little  or   no support  in  terms  of  real  productivity  with a  mere  15  points in  total.    If  ever  there  was a  category   where   the  team   has been  a  letdown  altogether  in  this  series.  Then  it  has   most   definitely   been  the  Cavaliers’  bench  and   its  productivity on the  offensive   side of  things.

Music mogul , rapper and producer Jay Z in attendance watches the drama unfold during the game. The rapper and LeBron James are close personal friends. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Elsa ...............

 Through  the  first  three quarters  of last  night’s  game the two   teams were  evenly  matched   in terms of their  offensive   output.  Wherein  coming  into  the  final  quarter  the  Magic merely   held  a   one   point  lead  79-78.  But over the  course of the  final quarter  the   Cavaliers   took their  opponent  to  task  outscoring  them  34-23   down  those final  twelve   minutes  to  eke  out a  10  point win.  The   fight  if  anything  was  that  for much  of  the game  with  it  at  times  becoming   very  physical and  the  officials  in  Bill  Spooner  , Dan  Crawford and   Marc  Davis   keeping a  watchful   eye on the  events  as  they  unfold. 

Hedo Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic on the sidelines after the loss to the Cavaliers 112-102 in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals played at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland , Ohio. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Gregory Shamus ......

 The Orlando   Magic   for themselves   killed  their  chances  of  winning  this  game   by  merely  turning  the  ball  over  far  too often  when  they  were   in  transition  on  the  offensive   side of things.   And   having  shot less  than  50%  in  their   field   goal  attempts and   an  even  more   putrid  32%  from  beyond  the  arc.   Which   the  latter is  often   thought  of  as  their   bread  and  butter  when   not  attacking  the   basket.

Ben Wallace of the Cavaliers looks to make the layup over the Magic's Marcin Gortat while his teammate LeBron James looks on. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Russell Thompson ...............

 All  in  all  one  could   sum  up  the  Magic’s  night as  being   a   game  where  they  didn’t   care of the chances  when   given  to them .  And that’s  despite the   fact  that  Hedo  Turkoglu  and   Dwight   Howard  played  well.   With   the  two  of them   combining  to  score  53 of  the  Magic’s  102  points in the game.  And with  only   Mickael  Pietrius  and  Rashard  Lewis  on  the  team  getting  into  double figures   in  terms  of scoring.  Again   something  else  also  that  was  indicative   as to  a  reason  why  the  Magic  lost the  game.  One  can  allude  to  the  fact  that   the  Cavaliers  took care of  business as they  needed    to.   

 

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic reacts after having fouled out in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Gregory Shamus ................

 And   if  nothing  else  this  series  one  might  now  surmise  is  far   from  over.   Much   like a  lioness   is willing  to  protect   her  cubs  in the  face of danger .   So  too   are  the  Cavaliers   as they  seek to  protect  their  presence  in  the  postseason.   And  as of   now they’re willing   to fight  and   state the   obvious that   reports  of  their  imminent  demise  was  vastly  exaggerated as  they’ve  lived  to fight another  day. 

With   two  games left   in  this  series.  It’s  not  beyond  the   realms   of possibility  that  the Cavaliers could  come back  from the  brink  of defeat and  win the  series outright.   But  that’d  be  predicated  also   on  whether  or  not  the  Magic  can  rebound  from this  loss.  They’re   but    one  win  away   from a  second  appearance  in the NBA  Finals.  And that’s something   that  as  of  now  is  most  definitely  worth  fighting   for.

 

 

Is it   possible  that either  LeBron   or  Dwight  can  prove to  us  that  they’re  indeed  superstars    by  leading  their  team  to  an  NBA championship ?

 

Whatever Happened To Insert Name Here?

It seemed   not  so  long ago  upon   his   entrance  into the  NBA .We were being told   that  the  ascending  star  of  Sebastian  Telfair  would be on  the rise reaching  beyond   the stratosphere.  

Telfair appeared on the cover of 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated. It's been often said that it's been the kiss of death foran athlete who appears on the cover of the magazine. Myth or reality I'll leave that up to you to decide. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/Lew Andruzzi .................

Well for  the player  that ascent  was  nothing more  than a  descent into  oblivion.  Wherein   one  had  to be wondering  whether  or  not he  was  still  playing in the  league  ?  But  thankfully  within  the  NBA   for   every  Telfair that   gets   dropped within  our  midst  from whom   we’re   expected to  see the  extraordinary.     There  is  thankfully   a   Chris   Paul   who’s  sent   within  our    midst to  prove  that  all  is right with the world.

For Telfair  his  inauspicious  start  came  from the  mere  fact  rather  than  going to  college   wherein  he’d  originally  committed to  joining  Rick Pitino  at the  University  of Louisville.   But instead  he chose to  forsake   a  college athletic  career . And  was  no doubt   lured   by  the money  that  was  on  offer and  the  alleged   notion that  he’d  indeed be   a  high  draft  pick  in  the  NBA  Draft.    

Telfair is seen here alongside another high school phenom who went straight to the NBA out of high school . LeBron James was taken 1st overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James was came out of the St Vincent_St Mary High School of Akron Ohio. And the rest as they say ..."is history". picture appears courtesy of Slam Magazine @ copyright reserved.

Well  he was  indeed a first round draft pick  in the  2004  draft  taken  thirteenth overall  by  the  Portland  Trailblazers.  Or  the  Jailblazers  as they’d been oftened  called  at  the time.   With  the  ever  revolving   door  whereby   by  their  players   were  falling  foul  of the  law  for  legitimate  reasons  more  often than  not. Telfair’s   baptism of  fire  would  begin with  the  Trailblazers   in  the  ever  forceful  and  tough   Western  Conference of the  NBA.

Telfair seen here adorned in a Celtics' cap had a brief stay with the team. He'd been traded to them in 2006 along with Theo Ratliff for Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau along with the 6th overall pick Randy Foye . Foye was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Brandon Roy. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Martin Webster .......

Coming  out  of  Abraham Lincoln  High  School  in  Brooklyn  ,  New York .  The  young   phenom  who’s the cousin  of  Stephon  Marbury .   Which  in  ofitself  may well  allude to the  problems  that somewhat  ensnared   Telfair’s  career  and  his  off the  court   problems  with  the law.   But  it’d be remiss to use that  as  a reason why  the  player’s  career  hasn’t  blossomed.  If anything  it  stemmed  from  his  approach to  the  game  and the  fact that as a  player  he  felt  that  was always  capable  of doing the impossible and  making  it all look  so  easy.  

In  reality  however while  he was a  very  skillful   ball  handler .  His  was  also  very   ill  disciplined in the  nuances  of the  game.  For  him the game  of basketball  was more  about  it being a  highlght  reel  and  the  streetball   notoriety  of the  blacktop.  And  the And1  approach to  playing  the  game.   Where  the  sole  purpose  as  such  isn’t  to be   viewed  as a team  endeavor.  But   basically   a  form  of  highlighting  monsterous  dunks  and  more often than  not  spectacular  passing.  How  this would   indeed equate  with  Telfair’s  game and  then be  exported  into the  NBA  format  would be  a  meausre  of what   would   befall  the  player.