Tiger on the Prowl

I have been gone for a long minute so first I would like to thank all the Smashmauf! fans for remaining loyal and keeping tabs on the site.  Smashmauf! is not going anywhere, I’m pleased to announce that.

While I was away, it seems Tiger got himself entangled in some juicy business – literally.  Alright.  Now I was not going to comment on his skewed publicity but for those who still do not know, Smashmauf is here to clarify one important thing.  Tiger is one Rich Mother-Shut-Your-Mouth.  The guy can probably make more money by burning money in public; he is that Rich.  Why the hell do you care who he is sleeping with??  No way you are going to be on that kind of game if your status is not on the level.  Just let the thing go.  We all know how it is.  The guy is an Athlete.  The guy is “Cau-Bla-N-Asian”; yeah, though we all just see that he’s part Asian and Black.  The guy is the BEST IN HIS PROFESSION.  The guy makes more money for others and yet he is still a Billionaire.  The guy is popular.  The guy is confident.  The guy has handlers to handle his handlers.  He married a SWEDISH BABYSITTER.  He guy is a marketing ICON.  Everyone on the planet with access to a Radio or Television knows or has heard of Tiger Woods.  And then, to top it off, his nickname is Tiger – as in, “He must be a TIGER in bed”.  Lots of women with any kind of access will throw themselves at him.  Even now.  That will not change.  Quite frankly, as long as he keeps Golfing, he will always be in the public limelight.  You can read between the lines on all of that but it will not change any of it.  All Smashmauf! wants to report is Tiger Woods, the Golfer.  I hope he comes back better than ever and breaks every damn Golfing record he can possibly break.  Leave the bed talk to the “Ladies” who kiss and tell.

Game 2 played out exactly the way Game 1 should have played out if the NBA Goons Referees had not completely skewed the series in favor of the Lakers.  The Orlando Magic battled valiantly, despite the Goons Referees showing up again in the 4th quarter, only to have their efforts and hopes dashed by a missed Layup by Courtney Lee.  I hate to put the loss squarely on his shoulders because basketball is a team sport BUT the truth is that the loss falls squarely on his shoulders; he missed a Layup at the end of regulation that would have won a game in which they had been completely discriminated against – in a series that they are being completely discriminated against.  I know there pundits and fans like myself who would argue against this fact but the truth is that it was a LAYUP!  No matter how hard the LAYUP was, it was nowhere as hard as taking a half-court, off-balance, defender-in-your-face, hailmary, buzzerbeating 3point shot.  All Lee had to do was hit a LAYUP from about 2-3feet away.  All I have to say is, “Courtney, where is your heart?”. 

Am I being hard on Lee?  YES!  Am I being malicious or unfair? NO!  It is no secret, the NBA is against the Orlando Magic.  They want the Lakers to win and they tolerate awful officiating much to the detriment of the Magic.  In this series, Orlando Magic are facing the most daunting task and the NBA hype machine so they have almost no chance.  They are the true underdogs in every way possible.  After going through a horrible shame of a game that was Game 1, you would think that Courtney Lee would want to stick it to the Lakers and the powers that be, David Stern & His Stoogies, but he was not in the moment.  Everything that makes a guy like Kenny Smith, Robert Horry or, Joe Dumars great was missing in that moment from Courtney Lee.  It is in the same category as the John Starks NBA Finals performance when the game mattered and is very demoralizing no matter how you look at it.  My prediction is that the Magic will not be able to overcome this game over the next 2 games, that is how big those moments were.

As for the Lakers, they played well but not enough to win.  They did not deserve to win either Game 1 or Game 2 (something that should be a rallying point for the Magic) but it does not matter now, a win is a win.  Lamar Odom is proving what we have all known all along, he is a truly remarkable and gifted basketball player.  If the hype-machine NBA would get off Kobe’s nether regions for a second the whole world might be able to appreciate all the great players, talent and, hardwork that actually goes into creating a Championship calibre team.  The Lakeshow are a really good team (not the best team this decade in the Finals – I doubt they could beat last year’s Celtics or this year’s version if KG had not gotten injured – still…); they deserve all the credit for playing to win and making the most of every chance or opportunity to win the Title.  They should be able to close out the Magic in 4 and finally lay claim to the 2009 Championship.  Kobe David Stern and the Lakers can finally bring another title to Tinsel Town.

**Gag**  I think I am going to be sick.  Prepare to be bombarded with Kobe merchandise and the NBA hype machine.

Feel free to share your sports related opinions or discussions with me and I will get back to you in due time.  You can also keep up with me via Twitter or via email: smashmauf@gmail.com

Ps: Magic vs. Lakers?!  Who-woulda-thunk-it?  Definitely have to give it up to the Magic for fighting and plugging away.  Like the man, Rudy T once said, “Never underestimate the heart of a ….”, y’all know the rest.  Much respect to Superman Dwight Howard for coming through on his promises and to Rashad Lewis for living up to his massive contract.  It must seriously hurt Seattle citizens to watch Ray Allen and Rashad Lewis make it to the promised land in back-to-back years (SNAP!).  Sometimes a little bit of faith, a little bit of cooperation and a little bit of heart is all that it takes to get over the hump.  I love the underdogs, I’m all for the Magic! 

Cheers,

As far as the Nuggets are concerned, they need to continue playing that physical, top-flight and above-the-rim style of basketball.  George Karl has the lucky task of managing this super lineup.  He has to make sure that the big men handle all of their assignments because that will put some serious damper on the Lakers attack.  Andersen and Martin have to continue to be physical with Gasol and Bynum on the defensive end because the Lakers frontcourt has not done a good job responding to physical play.  On the other end, Chauncey Billups has to run the offense to its maximum potential.   Billups will have to make sure that J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Linas Kleiza and, Nene get good touches on a consistent basis.  By holding their ground on defense and getting out on the break, Denver might have a chance to break the will of the Lakers at the end of each game.  The big issues as far as the Nuggets are concerned are that the Nuggets do not have a lot of ballhandlers (they really have to watch out for turnovers) and they also do not have anyone on their team that can cover Kobe Bryant (J.R. Smith is athletic enough but it is doubtful that he has the stamina to harrass Kobe for the span of a ball game).  Both issues will be the achilles heel for the Denver Nuggets in their battle against the Lakers.

With respect to the Lakers, they really have nothing to lose in this matchup.  Lakers beatup on the Nuggets pretty well during the regularly season and they have been beating up on the Nuggets on a consistent basis in recent years.  They have the home advantage and are extremely tough to beat when they play at the Staples Centre; also, the Nuggets are not very good on the road (despite their relative success so far in these playoffs).  Kobe has to continue to be aggressive early on in the ball games and he has to make sure to get his teammates involved on the offensive end.  The Lakers have a serious advantage if they decide to push the pace of the game because Jordan Farmar is proving to be a solid player on the break; he makes good decisions, shoots high percentage shots and is a tremendous ball handler (his only knock is that he plays some shotty defence at times).  Phil Jackson has the luck of making sure  he gets Farmar some solid playing time and playing in situations where he can be very effective.  The biggest advantage the Lakers have though has to be Lamar Odom.  Odom has been the enigma on this Lakers team for too long but now it all makes perfect sense – this series is taylor-made for his skills.  His size, mobility and plethra of skills will definitely create problems for the Nuggets on both ends of the court.  His resourcefulness and depth makes him the biggest asset for this Laker team because he allows them to be continuous when they go to the bench or have to change pace and he can play 3 (maybe 4) spots on the floor.  He does a great job of staying out of foul trouble and is able to cover his assignments on Defense.  On the offensive end, he can really wreck havoc on the Nuggets when they decide to go small.  If he can get up to 20 and 10 in any of the games, Lakers should win easily.  He is the X-factor.  Phil Jackson needs to get him in the game plan ASAP.

Overall, I cannot wait to get this game on the road.  The battle begins at 9pm E.T. tomorrow.  If Odom shows up, Lakers win big.

With such a great start to the season, keeping their composure will be an asset as they get into the thick of the regular season and the Jays showed off their metal today.  Down 1-0 to the White Sox early in the game, the Jays responded with 2 runs in the 8th inning sparked by a solid hit and steal from Vernon Wells.  Adam Lind drove in Wells with a double and Jose Bautista drove in Lind to win the series.  A strong performance by the Blue Jays team and great response to the 1st adversity this team has had to weather all season long.  In a long season that is bound to provide even more adverse situations, it is good to see that the Jays are willing to take a work man’s approach towards this season.  Next in line, the BoSox – soon as they close out the remaining 2 games with the White Sox this glorious long weekend.

The NBA has been marketing this year’s tournament with the slogan, “Where Amazing Happens” but I think that the real theme this year should be “Who has the most heart?”.  In the 2 Game 7 matchups coming up this Sunday the victor will without a doubt be the team with the most heart.  Who wants it more and who is willing to go the extra mile for the win?  It is not going to be about Kobe Bryant’s or Dwight Howard’s individual efforts as they try to will their respective teams into the Conference Finals, but it will come down to which team can put together a complete effort on Sunday.  These matchups are a Coach’s dream.

The Rockets proved last night that they are ready and up to the task.  Like Shane Battier alluded to, they have been battle tested and this team has responded to adversity over and over again.  Now there is one more hill to climb.  Rudy T. said it best when the Rockets won their 1st title with Olajuwon, “Never…Underestimate…The Heart of a Champion!!!”.  Do not count the Rockets out on Sunday.  The biggest thing they need now is to get enough sleep and rest before the Epic showdown with the Lakers.  The winner will be the team who starts fast and never lets up.