Why Chris Bosh will be the Miami Heat’s Most Important Player against the Indiana Pacers

by Ronnie Hamp

Chris Bosh is the most indispensable player on the Miami Heat. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James receive all of the accolades and are in the spotlight, but Bosh is the engine that helps them go. Last season when Bosh missed nine games in the playoffs it was evident that his talents were missed on the court.

Standing at 6’11 Bosh has the ability to play the Center position and is able to stand his ground on the defensive end. Bosh is not your traditional Center, but he is a walking mismatch. With Bosh having the ability to stretch the defensive on the offensive end and to protect the rim it will be a tough task for the 7’2 Roy Hibbert. Hibbert has the size, but with him guarding Bosh he will be in no man’s land when Bosh steps out 17 feet and beyond.

The better Chris Bosh plays the more the lane will open up for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade which means bad news for the Pacers.

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat

Bosh is also capable of playing the power forward position, so when Chris “Birdman” Andersen and Bosh plays together it will be a tough task for David West. At this point of the season Bosh is the Heat’s second best player. Dwyane Wade is battling knee injuries and father time so it is evident that Bosh has to step up to the plate.

The Indiana Pacers are a tough team and all of the games will be tough to win, due to the style of basketball they play.

In the Pacers and Knicks series Roy Hibbert was able to clog the lane and make it tough for the Knicks to score inside. Hibbert had the luxury of guarding Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin who both lack the mid-range game that Chris Bosh has.

 Hibbert was so dominant in that series on the offensive end, because he rested on the offensive side of the ball. In this series that will not be happening by any chance.

 Frank Vogel will have to pick his poison when going up against Bosh.

The chess match between head coaches Frank Vogel and Erik Spoelstra will be a sight to see.

 Chris Bosh’s versatility on both ends of the floor will pose problems for the Pacers as long as he is healthy. Bosh missed out last year against the Pacers in the playoffs and will be seeking revenge towards the team that he was injured against.

 I would like to wish Roy Hibbert and the other bigs on the Pacers good luck that have the daunting task of guarding Chris Bosh

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The Knicks semifinals loss isn’t all on Melo

by JT

meloYou may hear talk radio personalities (points at Colin Cowherd) bash Melo on a daily basis. When you are a superstar criticism is warranted because who else is the media going to talk about? Now that LeBron has one his ring who else can they pick on? Points to Melo, but even when pointing you know that Melo is a top 10 player in the league. Being in the Big Apple puts a magnifying glass over your every move, this is something that Melo signed up for when leaving Denver via trade.

We all know Melo is a scoring machine but he will have to work on a few parts in his game to become better in the off season. He has the tools to make the improvements needed. My question is after losing to the Pacers 4-2 will his teammates make the necessary improvements? Or will the front office get some players who can fit with Melo?

hibbert_chandlerDuring the series we saw Roy Hibbert look like an all world center playing against Tyson Chandler. If Chandler isn’t being an anchor on defense what else is he going to provide the team? I know it’s not a low post threat. Chandler lives by the dunk or die motto. To make matters worse he’s on the books for major coin.

JR_WoodsonCan somebody please put out an ABP out for J.R. Smith? The reigning 6th man hasn’t been right since he dropped the people’s elbow on Jason Terry in the first round. It was all good just an elbow ago. Word on the street is Rihanna put that voodoo on him, I’m not mad at him for doing his thing but he damn sure picked the wrong time to mess with the athlete killer. Not only did the Knicks lose the series but AR JR loss a lot of coin with his amber alert performance.

Jason Kidd didn’t make a shot all series. I know, I know, the great Jason Kidd isn’t a scorer but not a shot at all? He’s been giving the Knicks timely shooting all year. Seems like Kidd will be turning NBA AARP card soon  just like Sheed did earlier this year, Marcus Camby may not be that far behind them.

Amar’e hasn’t been healthy during key points during playoff runs if he can even be a sixth man type to help carry some offensive scoring it would do wonders for the Knicks chances. The Knicks are still stuck with Amar’e for two more years so I know they hope he can be healthy because a trade featuring their max player seems highly unlikely.

Now back to Melo with so much uncertainty one thing he can do himself is control how he works on his game during the offseason. He’s a scorer, he doesn’t have to be LeBron but he does have to do a better job at setting his teammates up it will help him in the long run. Defensive effort would be another thing Melo should hang his hat on during the offseason. No matter how you look at Melo in the overall spectrum, he left it all on the line against the Pacers during the series. Sometimes it’s easy to point at the superstar as the problem because he makes the most money, has the most endorsements , exc. , exc. but Knicks fans be happy you have a superstar like Melo at least you have hope now.

Doc Halladay may be running out of time

by JT

dochalladayRoy “Doc” Halladay has been one of the best pitchers in the major leagues last decade.  He’s been a terror to both AL and NL teams during his 16 year career mostly spent with the Blue Jays. Now as the Phillies ace has had injury problems the last two years. At the age of 36 the great right hander may be meeting father time face to face.

Halladay has been dealing with right shoulder problems the last two years which isn’t a great situation to have for a star pitcher who wants to go out on his own terms. The last two years he has been merely a shell of the dominate pitcher we are accustomed to seeing on a 5 day basis. His record the last two years is 13-12 with a 5.24 era, this year has been very rough during his 7 starts he only has a 2-4 record with an 8 plus era. These are struggles that the 2x Cy Young winner hasn’t seen in years.

Is one of the best pitchers of our time done? I sure hope not but one thing is for sure is Doc comes back from this latest surgery after a 3 month or more lay off he won’t be the same pitcher. Doc is in the last year of deal with the Phillies and with his recent run with the knife he may not command as much money as originally expected. He’s due for 20 million this year so he shouldn’t be hurting for cash but I hope one of my favorite pitchers gets to go out on his own terms and isn’t forced out by a bum shoulder.

For those that appreciate good pitching make sure you pay your respects to the work that Doc has done during his career. We may not see him at his best anymore but we know the foundation he has laid during his career.

The Pressure is Mounting for Scott Brooks

by Ronnie Hamp

scott brooksA few years back in the 2008-2009 season Scott Brooks and the Young Thunder were the perfect compliments to each other. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the charge it appeared as if the Thunder were next in line to take over Western Conference supremacy. Predictions in the forecast were right.

The then nucleus of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant matured faster than what many people expected and made a NBA Finals appearance in the 2012 after playing three seasons together. Though, the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat many people were excited about what the Thunder could become.

This summer OKC GM Sam Presti made a contract offer to James Harden that he turned down. Harden was then traded to the Houston Rockets days before the NBA season had begun. In return the Thunder received Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, as well as a few future first-round draft picks.

The trade created a lot of controversy, but in reality the Thunder did not have a way to pay Harden the money that he had expected. This past season Martin filled the role of the 6th man position pretty well (except for the playoffs). As James Harden blossomed into a top-tier shooting guard it made Thunder fans cringe. Without Harden the Thunder finished first in the brutal Western Conference. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s game went to new heights while head coach Scott Brooks just managed the troops.

Some people say when adversity strikes you see people’s true colors. In the early part of the opening playoff round against the Houston Rockets Russell Westbrook tore his meniscus after a bush league play by the Houston Rockets Patrick Beverly. Life was not so rosy after that moment. Kevin Durant had to play the role of Mr. Everything as he lost his side kick. Reggie Jackson played pretty well, but when you are replacing a superstar it is hard to expect anything less.

One of the biggest question marks that had rose after Westbrook’s departure was the game management of Scott Brooks. Brooks’s mishaps were often clean up by superb play by Durant or Westbrook. With one of his warriors out it was clear as day that Scott Brooks is not what we think he is.

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in 5 games, and Scott Brooks was badly outcoached by Lionel Hollins. From having Kevin Durant guarding Marc Gasol in game 4 to leaving Kendrick Perkins in the game for an extensive period of time. There were many head scratching moments that would make you wonder about Brooks.

The Thunder will get a pass for their playoff failures this season, because Russell Westbrook was out due to injury. If this trend continues what will Sam Presti do? I know that Scott Brooks’s job is safe for now, but if he fails to take this team to the next level he may end up in the unemployment line. Memo to Brooks: Shape up or you’ll be shipped out!

Norris Cole yams on Noah

by JT

First off I want to say Norris Cole has been ballin’ all playoff long. Cole has been puttin’ on for Dayton, Ohio for sure and Cleveland, hell the whole state.

Noah has one person to blame for Cole flushing it down in his face…. points to Carlos “Bigen my baldy” Boozer. Did you see that weak ass attempt to try to stop Cole from driving down the lane?

Cole went all left hand everything on the Bulls defense. Check out how the kid from the city threw it down on the Bulls.

Tayshaun Prince posterizes Ibaka and Jackson at the same time

by JT

Prince has been a self check all series, if you don’t know what self check is you didn’t play any street ball in your youth. Mike Conley was leading a semi-fastbreak with Prince trailing the lane, received the pass and just took off on the leaping Reggie Jackson and Serge Ibaka. I personally didn’t think Prince had that in him at this point in his career. I guess he got tired of being a self check superstar on the court.

The Grizzlies are heading to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their franchise history. Check out the dunk.