A Fisherman with Candy

 “Kobe is the Lakers”

“The Lakers are nothing without Kobe.”

Often used terms when talking about the Lakers.

Although, Kobe has some helpers. Last night I saw how good those helpers were.

Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom

Who are thesehelpers? Lamar Odom and Dereck Fisher. Why did I make the title called A Fisherman with Candy well obiously I mean Derek Fisher-man and Lamar was recently exposed on how much

 

candy he eats before, during, and after the game. And, that’s a lot of candy.

Derek Fisher was working harder than anyone else on the court, hustling every possession. He went at the ball every time. He ran faster then I’d ever seen him run. All-around his work ethic was outstanding. A big key in the Lakers’ win. He was the most experienced player on the court, and he looked the part. Leading the Lakers throughout the game.

 

As for the Candy Man, he was great. He’s good at everything. He made practically every move there is in basketball. A showcase of talent that isn’t often seen. He may be the biggest key for the Lakers. We he comes to play, LA is by far the best team in the NBA – on a whole different level than the Magic.

It is often said that the second option for the Lakers is Pau Gasol. He is a great player, but “second option” is a big name compared to all the resources the Lakers have.

Kobe has another great helper. That’d be the up-and-coming Trevor Ariza. A fine player that’s starting to make his name in this league.

So, now you know of Kobe’s helpers. But I have one more thing to say…

Andrew Bynum is a JOKE.

He gets 2 fouls in the first 2 minutes…EVERY SINGLE GAME.

So It Really Is The Lakers And Magic!

Sorry I haven’t been posting on The Oracle lately, just been trying to get my other blogs up and running. But now, Jace is back.

Alright after watching Thursday night’s game, I realized something. I realized that it really was the Lakers. The past series I had seen some other team. The other team had the same talent, although they were inconsistent, beyond words. Last night I saw something. I saw the regular season Lakers. I completely dominant team.

I noticed something else, too. I saw the actual Magic. A team that reallies to much on their shooting, and extremely predictable. Last series against the Cavs, I saw this team that had somewhat of a presence in the paint, and were extremely underestimated. There was one similarthing, both Magic’s seemed to have trouble guarding the opposition’s star player. The good Magic couldn’t guard King James. The Magic I saw last night couldn’t guard a Mr. Kobe Bryant.

So now I see something, the Lakers and the Magic really are in the Finals…

…I thought the game was between the LA Inconsistent’s and the Orlando Underestimated. It’s good to know who’s really playing.

How about Kobe? Had some 40 points, 8 assist, and 8 rebounds. The cool part is that he’s only the 4th player to have 40-8-8 in the Finals. That’s a good stat.

Honestly, this game could mean nothing. Maybe this reall was the Inconsistent’s, and it was just a good game for them. If it’s the LA Inconsistent’s, then expect this to go 7 games. Because sometimes, the Inconsistent like to be inconsistent. Almost like they stop playing Basketball, and start playing Shoot Around.

To go even further, this could still work out for the Magic. Or should I say, the Underestimated. This could have been a bad game. That means that next game they could be extremely underestimated by the Inconsistent’s.

What do I think? I think that this finally is the Lakers and the Magic. That doesn’t mean the Magic won’t win a game or two. It does mean I think the Lakers will win. Not just the Lakers will win, but they’ll prove some things.

They’ll prove 3 big things:

1. They ARE the best team
2. Kobe CAN win the big one, without big Shaq
3. Kobe is still the “King” of the NBA, LeBron doesn’t have the crown yet.

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.*

Pre Game Analysis: Magic @ Cavaliers – Game 5

Alright, as long as Orlando doesn’t blow it, they’ll take the series. Notice I said, “as long as”. Not a guarantee just stating the facts. The most probable thing, in my opinion, is Cleveland takes this game, Orlando finishes in 6. That’s just the most common action in series tied 3-1. Alright, to the games keys.

Cavaliers

1. The Basket Is Your Fort- I’m done saying LeBron shouldn’t have to do it all. This series explains, he has to. So, just take it to the basket. And, protect the basket. On offense attack. On defense, let Orlando have their jump shots. Just stay at the basket. If Orlando makes a 3 don’t sweat it. Take it to the basket again. I’ve noticed something. When Orlando make a 3, then the opposition scores, they take it back and shoot another jumper. If they miss it, they scurry on defense, you take it in again. Then they get on offense, they run around a lot, shoot an ugly 3. Miss it, unless strange luck. Then they scurry on D, again. When you make a shot right after their 3, it messes with them, they try to make an another 3. When they miss, they start freaking out and forget they are in an actual game. So just worry about close to the basket.
2. Role Players Need To Do Something-  Go ahead and let LeBron score half your points, just have someone else doing something. Quite frankly, you’ve just stood around when LeBron has the ball. Set a screen, be ready to get a rebound, do something. Call for the ball, confuse the defense. Whatever you do, quite making it 5-on-1.
3. Look At Someone Other Than Howard- Dwight seems to be the only person they care about. What they don’t realize is that, unlike them, the Magic’s other players actually try to play some basketball. So just watch for the guys that actually don’t have HOWARD on the back of their jerseys.

Magic

1. Just Play Your Game- Do what you do. Apparently, the Cavs can’t stop it. Just stay out of foul trouble.
2. Don’t Stop For Tea- Even though your winning with 4 minutes left…their still 4 minutes left! Don’t go out just because you winning and throw up the ugliest 3 in the world, the last 5 minutes of game 4 was just ugly. All you shot were 3′s! You missed most, too. Lucky for you, Cleveland gave the ball back over and over. Any other team, and you would have lost! Quit freaking out just because the other team is coming back. It kills me how you can comeback 20 points on a team, but when you take the lead, and then they start coming back, you really freak out. Calm down, just play basketball, get it to Howard. You don’t have to shoot 3 back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back.(etc.)

Too Much Spot Light?

OK, I’m taking a break from all the analyzing stuff. Enough stats…

We’ve all seen it. Kobe-LeBron puppet commercials, winning MVP, ESPN overdoing it, and this alleged ”guarantee” by Mo Williams. I’m going to tell you about these things, and how much they can back fire, what they can do to your head, and how stupid they can be.

Kobe-LeBron Puppets

An extremely funny commercial, I love it. Really though, with the way things are going, how good is this going to work? As you can see this was made with the thought of them meeting in the finals. They are both getting out-played right now. At this rate. The NBA is going to have to make a new commercial not with Kobe-Lebron, rather ‘Melo-Dwight or Chauncey-Dwight. How stupid would they look then. Upsets happen. I think that at least the Cavs or Lakers are going down, if not both. I feel sorry for anyone who has to talk to David Stern, if it ends up with Denver v. Orlando.

James MVP

“MVP! MVP! MVP!” I know, I know, James was doing fine the games after he won MVP. Well that was before the Orlando series. He would be doing fine. But, when LeBron goes to turn on the Lakers games’, what does he see? Either Bryant, Anthony or Billups lighting up the arena. But wait, he’s MVP he should do better. What does he do? Goes out and scores more. Not much else, just goes out and scores. Sure he scored more, but what has that done? Win one game, barely. James, just get all that mess out of your head, you’ve already won MVP. Get back to playing as you had. You don’t have to be King every game.

Pre-Game Analysis: Cavaliers @ Magic – Game 4

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

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GAME 4

 

 ”How ’bout them Magic!” I love this series! Just amazing, and isn’t that what the NBA wants? Isn’t amazing the NBA thing? “Where amazing happens.” Where will amazing happen this year?” We’ve seen it all. Amazing is what’s been going on this series. Just plain interesting to blog about, America loves upsets. The NBA may not like it. But, America loves their underdogs with a passion.

So LeBron has had to do everything. He has done everyhting. Although, his team is still down. The Cavs are beating the Cavs. The Cavs are beating LeBron. James isn’t a whole team. He needs some help. Alright, alright, I’ve said this over and over, I’ll get on to the Key’s to the Game.

Key’s to the Game

Cavs

1. Lebron needs help- Again, I’ve said this is every post. LeBron can’t do it all. The Cavs may think he can. ESPN may think he can. Heck, James himself can think he can. But he just can’t.
2. Pick up early- Get out there and show why you had the NBA’s top record! Matter of fact, score your first 10 points without James scoring more than 2 of them. Is that impossible? No. But, your trying as hard as you can to make it impossible. Get out there, take the lead, and show you’ve got more than 1 player!
3. Keep your head on- Strange title? No. It is true, the media is calling out the Cavs every second. Can’t have a press conference without getting attacked by a bunch of reporters. Every segment of every show it’s the Cavs this, the Cavs that. When the Magic lost you didn’t say all this! It’s because it’s the Cavs, it’s Lebron, and he’s MVP.

Post-Game Analysis: Cavs @ Magic – Game 3

This series. Exiting, shocking, and extremely fun to watch. With so many twist and turns throughout the previous games, as I said in the Pre-Game, the normalness of this game was actually refreshing. Not the best finish we’ve seen. Still the consistency was refreshing.

Star Watch 

Cavs-James

Okay, as for Lebron, he did have different numbers. With a smooth 9 assist, 7 ‘boards, and…41 points? They make the guy do it all. The question before the series was who had the better supporting cast, LeBron James or Dwight Howard. That question has been answered. Howard is surrounded by some great role players. James played 42 minutes(41.57)

Magic-Howard

Howard had 24 points, 9 ‘boards, with 4 of those being offensive rebounds. Not his best numbers? Well, Dwight did this on only 28 minutes(27.53). Even with foul trouble holding back his PT, as I said, he had the supporting cast to help out. But let me tell you, Howard got the most he could out of 27.53 minutes. He was still the Magic’s leading scorer.

Magic Offense

As I said, Howard as the leading scorer. But hey, forget the number stats. It’ll tell you what happened. The Magic were actually consistent they haven’t been the other games. If they can keep this consistency up, they will win this series. Something I. and most others, didnot expect. It would blow  me away. Change my whole perspective on the Magic, a team I thought, were overrated. But hey, they already have made me think twice about my old opinion. As for this game, it changed my perspective completely.

Magic Defense

They held the Cavs under 90, a accomplishmentin itself. Can’t stop ‘Bron ‘Bron, but they can stop everyone else. LeBron James is not a whole team. As I’ve said over and over theirs no “I” in “team”. The Magic proved that today. Once again, the Cavs only scored 89. 89! And, they did this is with the defensive player of the year only playing 28 minutes. ’Nough said.

Cavs Offense

If Joey(site admin) made my job to describe offense in one word, here’s hat I’d say:

LeBron

That’s what they’ve got. Let me rephrase that, that’s ALL they got. They only other player in double figures were West(12 points) and Williams(15). Pitiful. Just plain pitiful. I have nothing to say.

Cavs Defense

Nothing extremely special held the Magic under 100, that’s nothing special. Overrated, still. All I heard the Commentators say was, “The Cavs defense is the only thing keeping them in the game.” I’m sorry, but they are mistaking bad shooting for great defense. Their were plenty of wide open 3′s missed by the Magic. Orlando had their space, just didn’t capitalize.

Pre-Game Analysis: Cavaliers @ Magic – Game 3

With the series tied at 1-1, this could be the turning point for any team or for any player, as well.  Will the Cavs show up as the better team, or will Orlando finally prove their a challenge?  Will LeBron continue take-over?  Can Dwight have the numbers he put up though the regular season?  Will role players come up as stars?  So many questions, and only 48 minutes to answer.

Here are keys to the game:

Cavs

1. CONSISTENCY-Quit with all the twist and turns! Your wearing yourself out in every game. Either that, or LeBron has to do it all. Sure, you’ve been starting out great, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. FYI-There’s more than one half! So play both of them!
2. Lebron must have all kinds of stats-It’s great he can score and all, but the key is get all the numbers LeBron, not just your numbers. Besides, personally, I think a good 24 points, 11 assist, 12 boards, is better than going out and scoring 49. Why aren’t you doing it then? Just another question to answer. I have a thought, maybe your trying to keep up with Kobe and ‘Melo. You see them fight out for their team, and you want to score, too. Well guess what LeBron, you can do more than score. You share the ball, you can sky for rebounds, you have nice hands to steal, and you can go up and block a guy. There’s no “I” in “team”. So stop trying to spell it wrong, LeBron. Even the King has to share.
3. Realize who your playing-I’m not saying Orlando is a power house in the NBA. Still though, they are on a completely different level than the cake walk you’ve had through the playoffs. Just because you start winning doesn’t mean their going to quit like the other teams you have faced.

Magic

1. Don’t quit-Last game the Magic made an unfinished comeback. That can’t happen this game. Finish what you start.
2. Be ready to play-The Cavs have owned the first half of the first games. The Magic need to come out ready to play. Then they won’t wear them self’s out trying to comeback. This main goes off to the defense. They’ve slacked in the first half of both games. LeBron has owned the defense so far. The defense needs to get ready to play, get out and play like their in the NBA. Don’t make Howard do everything.
3. Establish your range-Own the 3 point line early, then if you can establish your range, make it a threat. Use that threat to take it inside with Howard. You have the players to pull this off. Get them open. Let Cleveland know your deadly behind the arc. Then show that you can pound it inside as well. This doesn’t mean go out and fire crazy shots that you’ll never hit by skill, don’t make this a game of luck. Lucky shots are last chance, not a game plan.