The Dwightmare is Finally Over

Remember when you had to watch those movies in school, the ones that went with the book you were reading in English class and were supposed to have an underlying message? They would drag on for what seemed like weeks and there were moments where you seriously considered gouging out your eyes just so you wouldn't have to watch another minute. Well the entire Dwight Howard trade watch was that movie.

I'm going to assume that if you're reading this you have at least somewhat followed the ongoing Dwight trade talks that have been taking place for over a year now. First he wanted to be traded, then it had to be to a big market, then it had to be Brooklyn, then he didn't want to be traded anywhere, then he did want to be traded, then he wanted to be a free agent, which led to him opting IN for another year in Orlando, then he got back surgery and missed the end of the season, then he wanted to stay in Orlando, then he wanted to be traded to Brooklyn, and finally he accepted a trade to the Lakers.

Read that paragraph again and remember that this all happened in an 8 month span from Christmas to this past Thursday when he finally got traded. While he broke the record for most change of hearts in less than a year it became very obvious that Dwight is a 26 year old man who still has a little child in him.

Now onto the really fun part for me, let's break down the trade for the four teams involved.

LA Lakers: How can you not LOVE this trade for them? They upgraded from Andrew Bynum to Dwight Howard and all it cost them was a first round pick, which is destined to be between 25 and 30. The Lakers now employ four of the top 30 players in the league with Steve Nash, Kobe, Pau, and Dwight. They have become the favorites to win the championship and have jumped the Heat as the team with the most talented starting lineup. Kobe Bryant, a former MVP, is now the third most important player on his own team. By starting Howard in place of Bynum the Lakers now have a low post defensive presence that can block shots and challenge plays at the rim. Bynum was a superior offensive player but with Steve Nash running the point, Dwight might set the record for most alley-oops that cause a fan base to collectively lose their shit. The word Boom-Shakalaka was invented for this pairing. Throw in Pau Gasol, one of the best big men in the league in his own right and that's a destructive combination of big men. Oh and I almost forgot, they employ a certain Black Mamba who is also capable of taking over a game and putting up 40 points on any given night. Perhaps the person who will benefit most from this is The Artist Formerly Known As Ron Artest, who will set the record for most wide open threes clanged off the side of the rim. Should he even be able to shoot a respectable percentage, every other team won't even have a chance. Also with his defensive abilities he will be extremely valuable in trying to stop Lebron and Wade should they meet in the finals. If the Lakers can fill out the bench with veterans like Leandro Barbosa and maybe Darko and younger guys like Jodie Meeks then they will be a tough out in the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets: Another team that I love this trade for. They picked up Andre Iguodala while giving up Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and a couple draft picks. Iguodala is a solid upgrade over Afflalo and will give the Nuggets a better defensive presence on the wing. Pairing him with JaVale Mcgee, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, "The Manimal" Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson will give the Nuggets a very 2004 Detroit Pistons feel. I don't think they're going to win the championship but they will definitely do better than anyone expects. That is a well balanced team with some great defensive players, great rebounders, and guys that can get into the paint on offense.

Philadelphia 76ers: Incredibly I also love the trade for the Sixers. They got the second best player in the deal and finally got themselves a franchise level big man in Andrew Bynum. I know I sort of trashed him when I was talking about how Dwight is better than him but Bynum is the second best center in the league when motivated. They also picked up Jason Richardson, who can step right in and replace Iguodala's offensive production plus add three point shooting. They return Evan Turner, J'rue Holliday, and Spencer Hawes to a team that took the Celtics to seven games in the playoffs last year. Turner and Holliday should only get better and Bynum gives them a low post presence that they haven't had since Charles Barkley left town twenty years ago. This is my sleeper team in the Eastern Conference, they are going to be a top four seed in the playoffs and will outperform the WAY overhyped New York Knicks that everybody seems to love. Richardson had a tough year last year but in his defense he was playing in Orlando, Dwightmare Central, and he came into the lockout shortened season very out of shape.

Orlando Magic: HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT.......and did I mention that I HATE IT. They just bent over and took it from Dwight for 8 months and then sent him to the best situation....really? Really? Really? The man has been a pain the ass for almost a year and you send him to the best situation for him to immediately win a title....does that make ANY sense? I could try to defend it if they had gotten a kings ransom back, something like Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum or Bynum plus multiple lottery picks, but they just gave Dwight away. The centerpiece of their return was Aaron Afflalo.......seriously Aaron Afflalo. Nothing against Afflalo, I'm actually a big fan of his and thing he's pretty talented but is he any better than Rudy Gay or Kevin Martin? Would either of those guys have been accepted as the best player in return for Dwight.....no. You could say they got three first round picks but look closer, all three teams they got them from will be in the playoffs, which means at best they will be at #15 or worse. If they had sent Dwight to the Rockets last month they would've received three picks that were all between 10 and 20 in a loaded draft. This trade is like going out to eat and choosing quantity over quality. It's like going to Wendys and realizing that for 5 bucks I can either get a full meal or I can get five loaded bake potatoes. Sure the baked potatoes are good but do you build an entire dinner around them? No, you don't. You make sure to get one main piece of the meal and then surround it with other food that compliments the main piece. Orlando traded their main piece for a bunch of side dishes, when they already had enough side dishes. Their best players are now Aaron Afflalo, Big Baby Davis, and Jameer Nelson. And with your first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Orlando Magic select.........


So there it is, the Dwightmare is over and the result has turned into a nightmare for every team in the NBA. Orlando got nothing worth keeping in return for him and they gave him to a team that is now the overwhelming favorite for the NBA title. At least I can root for Steve Nash.

Thanks for reading, be sure to leave a comment, go back and read all my other entries, tell your friends about the blog, and follow me on twitter @joshviola19.

-Josh

From Jesus to Judas: The Ray Allen Story

Welcome back to Thoughts of a Sports Addict. After a looooooonnnnnggggg delay, I've finally decided that now is the time to post some thoughts. Why now? Because I'm attempting to watch a complete Red Sox game and figure that even though it's the fifth inning I probably still have another three hours to crank out a column.

Anyways, I'm tempted to change the title of the blog to Thoughts of an NBA Addict because let's be honest, I'm probably never writing about anything other than NBA basketball. Maybe I'll throw out a quick one on March Madness or give my thoughts on potential draftees but that's as far off of the NBA as I'll go.

So let's see, since the last time I published an entry the Heat won the finals, Ray Allen broke my heart, Steve Nash joined the Lakers, and Dwight Howard is a Net.....wait sorry he's on the Lakers......oh wait no he's changed his mind again and he's been traded to the Flint Michigan Tropics to play with Jackie Moon (still won't sign an extension though). I never thought ANYONE could upstage Lebron's "Decision" but at least he made a decision and got it over with in one day, Dwight has turned the last two seasons into the equivalent of the Iranian Hostage Crisis for the NBA. So please Dwight, speaking as someone who is probably in the top .001% of NBA fans in the entire world, just pick a spot and let yourself be traded there, this has to stop. Even as a Celtics fan I don't care if the Magic trade Dwight to the Heat for Joel Anthony, Juwan Howard, and the rights to the Dolphins, just please send him somewhere else.

Now let me go ahead and surprise everyone by saying that I'm perfectly fine with Lebron James raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Yes, he gets the benefit of EVERY call, carries himself with the utmost arrogance, and has the words "Chosen One" tattooed on his back but for this season he deserved to win the championship. I remember watching him in game 6 against the Celtics, as he hit jumper after jumper after jumper and proceeded to rip my heart out, thinking that this is the way I've always wanted to see him play. The biggest problem I ever had with Lebron was that he was wasting his talent and it offended me. Having missed the Jordan era, just bad luck being born too late, I felt that Lebron was my chance to experience what it was like. For the first 8 years of his career it didn't really work out that way though. Lebron didn't have the killer instinct that Jordan had, wasn't the closer that Jordan was, and certainly didn't carry himself with the supreme confidence that seemed to ooze out of MJ's every pore. He was robbing me of my chance to be able to sit my grandkids on me knee someday and tell them about how I saw Lebron James dominate the NBA, just like Michael, Larry, Magic, Kareem, and Bill Russell had done before him. My biggest fear when Lebron went to Miami was that he'd win a title playing second fiddle to Dwyane Wade, proving that Lebron was more Scottie Pippen than Michael Jordan.

But this year something changed. Lebron came out in the playoffs and dominated to a level that I've never seen before. He was everything I've ever wanted him to be, taking over in the clutch, hitting big shots, and playing lock down defense. Unfortunately he decided to have this coming out party against my favorite team in the Eastern Conference Finals......so I'm still not a fan but at least now I can tell myself that I'm ok with him winning the championship. Now that we've decided that Lebron is indeed the Michael Jordan of the Heat, that would make Dwyane Wade the Scottie Pippen and Chris Bosh the Toni Kukoc. Bosh being Kukoc is actually a lot closer than you'd think, with both being in the 6'10" range and left handed........well I suppose that's where the comparison probably stops.

.........Now we move on to a topic that has been pretty hard to deal with. I'll let the video speak first.





Before I rip on Ray Allen for the decision he made, let me first say, thank you. Thank you for helping my favorite team win a championship in 2008, thank you for always playing hard and being in shape, thank you for hitting more game winning shots than I can count, thank you for crossing over Sasha Vujacic so badly that he almost cried, and thank you for helping to make the Celtics relevant again.

I'll never forget watching Ray Allen hit his first game winner in a Celtics' uniform against the  Bobcats. We stole the inbounds pass, Ray ended up with the ball and nailed the shot. I'll never forget when the picture went out and I had to listen to Tommy and Mike describe the game winner Ray Allen hit against Toronto. How could I not remember forever when Ray made the most clutch lay up I've ever seen to secure a victory in the Game 4 comeback against the Lakers in Los Angeles? Even the next season when KG was hurt and the Bulls put up a huge fight in the first round series agains the Celtics, Ray hit big shot after big shot to put down the Bulls in 7 games. Then another trip to the finals in 2010 featured Ray breaking the record for threes in a finals game as the C's came agonizingly close to a second title in three years. Ray was at times incredible in a Celtics' uniform and I will never forget that. He made me jump out of my seat so many times that I eventually decided to just not sit down during the end of games.

And then he broke my heart......





I'll never understand how anyone could do what Ray did. In fact I've never known of another player to sign with the team that just beat his team in the playoffs, let alone the team that is the main rival. If KG had decided to just retire and Ainge was set on blowing up the team it would be understandable but when KG came back and the Celtics began to reload it seemed only natural for Ray Allen to return. However, he could not have done more to spite the Celtics. He signed with the Heat for half the money that the Celtics were offering and a role that is similar, or perhaps even less than, what Boston was offering. Ray Allen effectively spit in the face of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and every other teammate that he played with last year (although to be fair he probably would like to actually spit in Rondo's face). I know people like to argue that Ray was justified in what he did and he may have been, that's not what I'm interested in, my interest is in why he would leave. Imagine for a moment that Ray had stayed in Boston and retired at the end of his contract. In 2016 we get the incredible moment of Ray, Pierce, and KG coming back to the Garden to have their numbers retired together and a chance to soak in the adulation of the crowd one more time. Ray goes down as a Celtic legend and beloved New England figure, having also gone to college at UConn. In reality he gave all that up to be a mercenary, a hired gun, for the Heat. He'll get no credit if the Heat win another championship, at least no more than Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, or any other role player got this year. It's sad for me to think that when Ray Allen finally does retire, he will belong to no franchise. He was a Buck for the first five years of his career, a Supersonic for the next five years, then a Celtic for five years, and finally a member of the Heat. The two teams he had a chance to have his number retired for, the Celtics and Sonics, are no longer options. The Sonics were moved to Oklahoma City and are now known as the Thunder and Ray just torched his bridge with the Celtics.

Alright, well that's enough for now be sure to check back often though because I'll be breaking down the Celtics new players, Courtney Lee, Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo, Jeff Green, and maybe one or two more.



Thanks for reading, be sure to leave a comment, become a fan of this blog, and follow me on twitter @joshviola19.

-Josh

NBA Playoff Predictions

I know, I know, they started earlier today but I'm always late anyways.

East


(1) Chicaco Bulls Defeat (8) Philadelphia 76ers

And the very first prediction is affected by a game that happened today. Derrick Rose is done for the rest of the playoffs with a torn ACL and MCL. Losing the reigning MVP in game 1 of the playoffs is usually a death nell for any team, but if there's any team equipped to compete without him it's the Bulls. They were without him for much of the season and still managed to maintain a stranglehold on the top spot in the Eastern Conference so they have proven that they can play without him. CJ Watson and John Lucas III are going to be extremely important in this series now and have shown that they can step up when called upon. The Bulls also have one of the best coaches in the league with Tom Thibodeau and one of the best big man rotations in the league in the form of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Omer Asik.

The Sixers are going to make this an interesting series because they can throw out great athletes and one of the best benches in the league. Andre Iguodala, J'Rue Holiday, Elton Brand, Lou Williams, Thad Young, and Evan Turner will lead Philly and could very well pull off the upset. I think, unfortunately for Philadelphia, this team is still a year and a scoring big man away from being a team capable of knocking off the Bulls. As it stands now, without Rose I can see the Sixers extending the series to six games, but not having enough to stop the Bulls.

Final: Bulls over Sixers in 6 games.

(2) Miami Heat Defeat (7) New York Knicks

This is the second game in a row where a game 1 injury is affecting my prediction. This time it isn't the reigning MVP but a rookie named Iman Shumpert. Now if you're not a big NBA fan then you've probably never heart of Iman Shumpert because he got overshadowed this year by teammate Jeremy Lin. Shumpert could probably be considered the "Anti-Lin" because of the way that he plays defense and doesn't dominate the ball on offense. For Celtics fans, Shumpert is comparable to a bigger Avery Bradley, complete with pressure defense and streaky shooting. Unfortunately for the Knicks Shumpert went down with what is being called "a probably torn ACL". Now with no one to play suffocating defense on Dwyane Wade, the Knicks are in rough shape because the other point guards on the roster, Mike Bibby and Baron Davis, haven't been good since Bush left office.

The Heat story is well known so I won't waste time explaining it here, I'll leave it for the next round when they have a better matchup. If Shumpert hadn't gotten hurt, I think this would have been the best series because the teams seemed evenly matched, and even with the injury I think it will still be more competitive than it looked today. If you have Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony then you are going to be in a series. I would bet that at least one game sharpshooters Steve Novak and JR Smith catch fire and win the Knicks a game but the Heat are going to be too much.

Final: Heat over Knicks in 5

(6) Orlando Magic Defeat (3) Indiana Pacers

I'm currently watching this game and the Magic are down by 2 points with two minutes left in the third. My favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons, has a theory that he called the "Ewing Theory". The idea is that when a teams best player gets hurt and is out for an extended time, that team comes together over the adversity and plays better than anyone expects. The theory is named for Patrick Ewing, as when he got hurt during the last strike season the Knicks shocked everyone and went from the eighth seed in the East to the NBA Finals. Currently Dwight Howard has gotten hurt and the Magic are a prime candidate to prove the "Ewing Theory" correct. The part that worries me is that the team right now is just a three point bombing squad that really has no inside presence. I've seen Big Baby play as a starter and it's not a good thing for the Magic.

I'm underrating the Pacers. I know I am, and I don't care. To me they are the most perplexingly good team in the league. Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert are there two best players and neither is a top 25 player in the NBA. My worry is that when the going gets tough and they need someone to take the ball and make a big shot they're all going to look at each other. Orlando has Big Baby, who for all his short-comings, definitely does not lack the confidence to take the big shot. So I'm going to ride the Magic in this series. I just have a feeling.

Final: Magic over Pacers in 7

(4) Boston Celtics Defeat (5) Atlanta Hawks

Homer pick? Sure. The Hawks are a good, athletic team that gave Boston trouble in 2008 when the Celtics' best players were four years younger. The difference this time is that Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia are both out for the series. Boston's biggest problem is rebounding, it's been their achilles heal all year long due to a lack of big quality big men. No Horford or Pachulia for the Hawks means that their rebounding will be that much weaker and Boston should be able to keep the rebounding numbers fairly equal.

The key to the Celtics success after the all star break has been the shrewd move by Doc of moving KG to the center position. I've written before and it's been well documented that Garnett has never wanted to be a center, but for the good of the team he moved over to allow Brandon Bass into the starting lineup as the power forward. Since then it's done wonders. Because Garnett and Bass are both lethal from 18 feet, the lane is wide open for Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, and Paul Pierce to slash to the basket. The emergence of Bradley, as not only the best wing defender in the conference but also as a decent shooter of the corner three, has made the offense that much smoother. Ray Allen is crucial to the team success but running plays designed to get him an open shot was slowing down the offense and hurting the flow of the game for the Celtics. Bradley is able to score points just by reacting to what Rondo does and cutting to the basket. The Hawks best chance is to hope Joe Johnson and Josh Smith play out of their mind. Johnson is certainly a capable offensive player and Smith can be one of the best defenders in the league when he's playing smart, unfortunately for the Hawks Josh Smith too often falls in love with the jump shot and when it isn't falling his defense suffers. The Celtics are winning this series, they just have too many positional advantages not to.

Final: Celtics over Hawks in 6

West


(1) San Antonio Spurs defeat (8) Utah Jazz

If the Grizzlies hadn't beaten San Antonio last year, I would have picked Utah this year. This series is going to be A LOT closer than anyone believes. The Spurs biggest weakness comes when they have to play a team with more than one quality big man. It's why they lost to the Grizzlies, with Z-Bo and Marc Gasol last year. Tim Duncan is getting older and even though he's still a great player, he can't cover for everyones' mistakes anymore. The Jazz boast a big man rotation of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter that can reek havoc down low. That means that Dejuan Blair and Tiago Splitter are going to have to prove their worth on the defensive end to at least slow those guys down.

Tony Parker and a healthy Manu Ginobili are going to be the difference for the Spurs this year. Ginobili got hurt last year and missed the series against the Grizzlies and Parker has been out of this world this year, even generating some MVP talk. Again though, I think the real reason I'm picking the Spurs here, even though my gut says they're in for a second "shocking exit" is because they lost last year and I can't see a team with Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich losing to an 8 seed twice.

Final: Spurs over Jazz in 7

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder defeat (7) Dallas Mavericks

The defending champs aren't getting out of the first round this year. The feel good moment of the sports year in 2011 was definitely the Mavs winning the NBA championship. To see Dirk, Jason Kidd, Peja Stojakovich, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Tyson Chandler finally get a ring was awesome, but it's not happening again. The trade for Lamar Odom killed this team. If you had told me that the Mavs were going to give up a first round pick and get Lamar Odom I would have told you it was a great trade but he imploded in Dallas and ruined the Mavs. The other reason I don't think the Mavs can win it  again is a reason that has nothing to do with talent. Last year they had the motivation to win it all because so many of them were dying to finally win a championship and get that ring, where is the motivation coming from this year? I'm sure Vince Carter would like a ring but he's not exactly the guy I'd want to have to try and get my team fired up. Don't worry though Mav fans, you'll have Deron Williams next year.

The Thunder are playing fantastic basketball with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the way. Serge Ibaka, James Harden, and Kendrick Perkins are also playing well and contributing to a team that is becoming a well oiled machine. Can't see them losing yet, but I'll spoil the ending for you, this team isn't going to the finals. Why, you ask? Well look at this video. The man in the black (Shawn Michaels) is Russell Westbrook and the man in the red (Marty Jannetty) is Kevin Durant.



Final: OKC over Mavs in 6

(3) Los Angeles Lakers defeat Denver Nuggets

Not because of Kobe and Gasol but because of Andrew Bynum. He's the new big man in LA and should be the guy that the offense runs through. This will never happen because of Kobe but it should happen. The trade for Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline was probably the most helpful trade any team made at the deadline because it got Derek Fisher out of the starting lineup (and later he was sent away too). Sessions has been the steady hand that the Lakers have needed to solidify their starting lineup.

Why am I not picking Denver? Go back and read the reason I'm not picking Indy and it's the same reason. Lots of talent but no go-to guy.

Final: LA over Denver in 7 (only because I'm unsure about Kobe's injury situation)

(5) Memphis Grizzlies defeat (4) LA Clippers

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are great players (and great floppers) but they're overmatched in this series. The Grizzlies have too much talent to lose to the Clips. Randolph, Gasol, Gay, Conley, Tony Allen, Mayo, and the list goes on of guys who would be starters on the Clippers. They only two guys on the Clippers that would start for the Grizzlies are the aforementioned Paul and Griffin. Deandre Jordan has been a bust after signing a big new contract, Caron Butler is a shell of his former self, and Chauncey Billups went down early in the season with a rupture achilles possibly never to return.

So as great as Blake is when it comes to highlight reel dunks, his defense leaves a lot to be desired. Z-Bo and Gasol are going to eat him up inside. The only way the Clippers are going to win this series is if Chris Paul goes into "F-U" mode and puts the Clippers on his back for 4 games. Chris Paul is the best player in the series and has the ability to single handedly bring the Clippers to the second round but I'm not betting on it. Let's not forget as well that Vinny Del Negro is the worst coach in the league...it's not even debatable.

Final: Grizzlies over Clippers in 5.

So there you have the first round of the NBA playoffs. I'd love to hear from you guys on whether you agree, disagree, think I'm an idiot or whatever.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment, become a fan of this blog, go back and read all my other blogs (check out how I correctly predicted the NBA and NHL champion last year in the correct amount of games), and follow me on twitter @joshviola19.
-Josh

NBA End of Season Awards

The saddest day of the year is coming up soon....the last day of the NBA regular season. So for the three of you that actually care about NBA regular season basketball, this column is for you.

How much do I love the NBA? Let's put it this way: I'm unemployed, single, a part time student, and I still don't feel like I have enough time for all the NBA basketball I want in my life. I may not be able to remember what I had for breakfast but I can remember how many points Paul Pierce scored in the second half of a game against the New Jersey Nets 10 years ago (46). For the last three months I've used the three hours a week of Pathophysiology class to play NBA Sporcle games and read through message boards, debating such amazing topics as "Lebron's Receding Hairline" and "What's the best nickname for Greg Stiemsma". I can rattle off the order of draft picks for just about every draft of the last 12 years, including where the draftees went to college. At a party one time in college I had a 20 minute conversation with a drunk classmate on why a zone defense wouldn't work against the Suns. Why am I telling you all of this.....no not because I had to prove that I really have no life, but to show you just how much I love the NBA. I've read Bill Simmons Book of Basketball enough times that I think I can recite it like snobby upper class people can recite Shakespeare. These are the reasons that I write this blog. I LOVE sports, especially basketball, and I love to share my passion for it with other people. So ya, the last day of the NBA regular season is a sad one for me, it means that I have to wait at least six months for another season to start. I might even have to find a job to help pass the time. So here goes.....

MVP: 

The NBA MVP is the best MVP award in all of sports. Can you name the last 10 NFL, MLB, or NHL MVP's? I bet you can't. My guess is that you could at least stumble into the last 10 NBA MVP's, because the NBA MVP is rarely handed out to a guy that isn't GREAT. Let's look at those last ten guys that have won the trophy. 2001-2011 we had Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan (x2), Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash (x2),  Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James (x2), and Derrick Rose. Every one of those guys is going to be a Hall of Famer. Other than Rose and possibly Nash they are also all among the top 30 guys to ever play in the NBA. So what am I trying to say here? I'm saying that the NBA MVP is more important and the person who wins it needs to have dominated a season to the point that ten years from now when you think back they are the first person you think of from the season. For me the contenders are Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, and Kevin Love. The only two guys who put up the stats that are worthy of the MVP award are James and Durant. Kobe, Love, Paul, Rondo, and Parker had excellent seasons but they're a step below Lebron and Durant. 

Between Kevin Durant and Lebron James, I'm taking Lebron as the MVP. It's a regular season MVP award, so his playoff failures have nothing to do with this pick even if it is hard to understand how he can be so good in the regular season and so bad during the 4th quarter of playoff games. What it really came down to was that the main argument against Lebron is that his team is too good, but I actually think Durant is surrounded by more talent. Lebron is in a starting lineup with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joel Anthony, and Mario Chalmers along with nothing off the bench. Durant has Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefalosha, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, and James Harden off the bench. I might be alone on this but I'd take the talent on OKC over the talent on Miami. Lebron has LESS help than Kevin Durant. Both are great players, but Lebron has put up historically great numbers and when I think of this season in 10 years it will be about his quest to get back to the finals. 

Coach of the Year:

This boils down to three coaches competing for this award. It has to be either Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, or Tom Thibodeau. Pop has taken the Spurs and led them to the top of the Western Conference once again this season. I know what some of you are thinking though, "Come on, if I had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili I'd be able to take the Spurs to the top of the West too". Well ask yourself a question, how many years in a row have you been saying that? Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997, Ginobili in 1999, and Parker in 2001, and they've been winning championships since the last strike shortened season in 1998-1999. The case for Doc Rivers is similar to that of Pop. He took a team led by older stars and has led them to a division championship and top four playoff seed. Combine that with the job he's done integrating Avery Bradley into the starting lineup and getting the best out of guys like Greg Stiemsma, Mickael Pietrus, and every other guy who was signed with the intention of wearing a suit and sitting on the bench cheering. He had to deal with season ending injuries to Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Wilcox, and Jeff Green while also losing Rondo, Pierce, Garnett, and Allen for stretches of time at different points in the season. Thibodeau won the award last year and this year he once again will be up for consideration because of how he kept the Bulls in the drivers seat of the Eastern Conference with 2011 MVP Derrick Rose sitting out for a third of the season. 

Of the three I'm going to go with Doc. Call me a homer but he had to deal with injuries to just about everyone on the roster, had the confidence to play a 27 year old white rookie center big minutes in crucial games, and somehow talked Ray Allen into accepting a bench role. Props to Pop and Thibs but Boston asked Doc to do everything but suit up and play this season and somehow they're still the Atlantic Division champions. 

Rookie of the Year:

I'm picking Ricky Rubio for this award and you can't stop me. I know he tore his ACL and missed the end of the season but I don't care he was the most important rookie in the league. Kyrie Irving had better stats but it didn't really matter because Cleveland didn't even come close to sniffing the playoffs. Rubio, along with Kevin Love, had the Timberwolves in position to make the playoffs before his unfortunate injury. Most experts had the T-Wolves as bottom feeders in the West once again but Rubio changed all that. He threw the best passes of any player in the league (sorry Rondo) and he energized an entire franchise that has had little to cheer about since KG left 5 years ago. When you think of the 2011-2012 season the first rookie that comes to mind will be Ricky Rubio. Sorry Kyrie, but no one in Cleveland has forgotten about Lebron yet. 

Most Improved Player: 

My apologies to all of the Jeremy Lin fans that are reading this but I just can't pick him for this one. I don't think he improved, he was just given a chance to finally start playing big minutes. It was a great story but if you look at the games before he got hurt he was starting to tail off. If you want to compare Jeremy to a band it would have to be Nirvana. Kurt Cobain killed himself when Nirvana was at its apex, allowing music fans to romanticize them forever after, much the same way that Jeremy Lin injured himself at his apex allowing basketball fans to romanticize how great he was. The difference is that Lin will be back next year, probably overpaid, and everyone will find out that he isn't nearly as good as he showed in his first few games. 

The real winner of this award should be a guy who was in the NBA for a while but never really made the kind of impact people thought he would before finally living up to his potential this year. For me the guy that fits that description, primarily because I just wrote it for him, is Gerald Green. G-Money was a first round draft pick by the Celtics in 2005 and was playing in Russia by 2010. That is a LOOOONNNGGG way to fall. He entered the D-League this year and enjoyed tons of success before dominating the D-League all star game and getting the call-up from the Nets. Since getting called up he's had the dunk of the year and is scoring 12.5 points per game on excellent efficiency. So "The Shocker" (check out his right hand) is taking this award home. 

Defensive Player of the Year: 

For me, this award belongs to Kevin Garnett. Check out the way he shut down Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, and every other great power forward in the league. Maybe I'm a homer and maybe it's because I've watched just about every Celtics game this year but Kevin Garnett is still the best defender in the league. It's incredible that even with the loss of athleticism over the years he can still shut down talented players that are 10 years younger than him. Tyson Chandler, Tony Allen, Andre Iguodala, and Dwight Howard were also up for this award. Tyson was the closest to unseating Garnett and if he had been coached by Mike Woodson all season he may have. Unfortunately for Tyson he had to play for Mike "no D" D'Antoni with defensive midgets Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire as teammates. Tony Allen doesn't play enough minutes to really qualify for the award, although he's probably the best wing defender in the league. Iguodala is a great defender but a little overrated. Dwight Howard is just a big douche bag who bailed on his team and threw his coach under the bus. We'll remember this as the season where Dwight Howard committed character suicide. 

Sixth Man: 

Brian Scalabrine I mean, James Harden. They're easily confused. The man with the best beard in pro sports is the runaway winner of this award. Tons of guys were great sixth men this year but no one even came within shouting distance of unseating James Harden here. 

So there are the NBA regular season awards. Check back next week when I'll be posting my playoff predictions, sure to be wrong. Remember to leave a comment, go back and read my other blogs, become a fan of this blog, and follow me on twitter @joshviola19. 

-Josh

Understanding Lebron

Welcome to another edition of Thoughts of a Sports Addict, probably the most shocking one yet. I'm going to try and psychoanalyze Lebron James and figure out why he has never become the player that everyone thought he was going to be. What other blog provides the psychoanalytical ramblings of a chemist? This is one of a kind.

Let's start out with a speech from the movie Coach Carter, because it describes what you're about to read about perfectly. (Thanks to Jake Viola for showing me this)

Being under-employed I have lots of free time during the week to do pretty much whatever I please and lately that has been some soul searching and reflection. Of course not all my time is spent doing that and I've been watching an inordinate amount of sports, usually spending my mornings watching Skip Bayless argue with a host of other national pundits about any number of topics. They were debating a topic earlier this week about Lebron James not wanting the ball in the final few minutes of a game. Other than the fact that the topic has been beaten to death, it's also one that I thought I had a solid opinion on. Lebron doesn't want the ball at the end of the game because he fears failing and isn't confident enough in himself to get the job done.

I've changed my mind though...

I've always thought that my biggest fear in life was failure. It's the answer that I always give when people ask me what I'm afraid of most. But over the last couple of weeks I've slowly come to the conclusion that this is simply incorrect. I thrive on failure. Failure has built a chip on my shoulder that motivates me every day to be better than the day before. Failure is the reason that I bust my ass at the gym 7 days a week and the reason that I am motivated be a better teacher. So then that begs the question, what do I really fear? It took me a few days to figure it out, but what I fear most in the world is success. It sounds completely backward but as I began looking back at events in my life it bore itself out. Whether it was sports, school, girls, teaching, wrestling school, or anything else, I've always feared being as successful as I could have and should have been. I was always content to fail and let that chip on my shoulder grow.

So why is this important to Lebron James? I've been thinking about it and he has the same problem. He fears success. Don't get me wrong, the guy is incredibly successful as a basketball player. He's a multiple time MVP and the best player in the league, but he has failed again and again in crunch time of big games. When you get to a certain level in sports you can no longer be measured by individual achievements but instead must be measured by championships. The greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, feared failure and would work himself tirelessly to ensure that he NEVER failed. He wanted to be the greatest to ever play the game and wanted the big shot every time. I can imagine a Heat huddle now that has Lebron asking Dwyane Wade if he wants to take the game winning shot, and that's the problem. Can anyone imagine Jordan or Larry Bird offering to pass up the game winning shot to run a play for a teammate.....no you can't. I imagine one of those Bulls huddles went something like this: Coach: "OK here's the play...." Jordan: "Just give me the ball and get the F*** out of my way".

Does it make Lebron a bad guy that he doesn't want to take that shot? I don't think so. I think Lebron, like myself, loves to be loved......by EVERYONE. There is no way to insure unanimous popularity but there's a difference between wanting to be liked by everyone and being comfortable playing the villain role. I've ripped on Lebron a lot for making the decision to leave Cleveland by way of a live television special, and I still can't defend it but I understand why he did it. If I was going to upset a lot of people with one decision I would definitely want to do something to try and soften the blow. Knowing that, I can see why he made the decision to hold a live "Decision" special with the proceeds going to the Cleveland boys and girls clubs. I can understand his thinking that maybe Cleveland wouldn't hate him as much if he did this one act of charity on his way out. I'm not sure I wouldn't have made the same decision or at least allowed myself to be talked into it being a good idea.

Going back to looking at decisions that I've made, it's easy to see that I hate upsetting people or giving bad news of any kind. Sports, especially basketball, is an area where it's pretty easy for me to pick apart where I did things just to keep everyone happy. I rarely looked for my own offense. Everyone loves to shoot and when you're taking their shots away they get upset, especially if you're missing. So rather than look to shoot the ball, I decided to focus on passing and rebounding, though it mostly amounted to bench warming. I've had coaches literally yell at me to shoot the ball, but I never wanted to rock the boat. I was afraid of success, not that I was a fantastic player, however I will forever believe that I had more to offer. The one year that I did look for my own offense was a year I spent playing rec ball. It was the only time in my entire basketball career, 8 years, where I believed that I had to score for the team to win and that I was our best option.

Doesn't that sound like Lebron? When he was on the Cavs he took a team with no other all stars to the NBA Finals. Really the only year where he BELIEVED he was the best player and should be taking the shots at the end of games. He had the 48 Special against Detroit in the conference finals because there was nothing to lose, he was the only hope for the Cavs. When the Cavs started putting better pieces around Lebron he started to lose that swagger. He was still clearly the best player on the team but with Antawn Jamison and Shaq he now had guys who were older and had been all stars before. If you don't think Lebron started having doubts about whether he should be taking the crunch time shots or whether he should be feeding Shaq then I don't think you've been paying attention. Fast forward to when he went to Miami and he's feeling the pressure even more. He has no idea whether he should be deferring to Wade/Bosh or whether he should be taking over. To say that Michael Jordan would have gone to any team in the league during the 90's and deferred to ANYONE wouldn't just be asinine, it would be asiten, asieleven, asitwelve. Michael never feared success with any team, no matter whose toes he was stepping on. Lebron is too sensitive of a guy to step on other people to get to the top. And I totally get it.

So why, after 9 years in the league, hasn't Lebron listened to the media and just started taking the crunch time shots to shut everyone up. To be honest, if he just started taking the shots most of the hate would subside. Even Jordan missed more game winners than he made. The reason is the same reason that I still suck at dating. It's another quality that we share, not stubborness but an increased level of cautiousness and an inability to live in the moment. I believe that Lebron passes up the crunch time shots, not because he's not confident he can make them, but because he fears what will happen if he starts making them. If he starts making them, then expectations rise that he'll make them every time. That's a good thing, unless you're the type of person that hates to let people down....which is exactly what Lebron is. So rather than take that last shot, he'll gladly pass it off to Wade, Bosh, or even Udonis Haslem. In my situation I've never had an entire television show dedicated to breaking down my dating woes, but I do have some close friends that do their best Skip Bayless impression whenever we start talking about it. And what compares to a last second shot better than that awkward moment when you're dropping someone off? Much like Lebron my body language is terrible and my mind ends up in a million different places. It's not that I wasn't interested in the person I went out with, in fact I've never gone out with someone I DIDN'T like. It boils down to the same issue of wanting everyone to like you. If you never take a chance than the worst case scenario is that you'll end up as friends.....again fearing success and settling for someone simply "liking you" when it probably should've been more. Although it is more failure to add to that ever-growing chip on the shoulder. So Lebron and I both ignore what is usually GREAT advice because both of us fear the success and expectations that might come with it. Instead of living in the moment, we're both thinking 15 moments ahead to what might go wrong in the future.

Another thing that I've ripped Lebron for is joining up with Wade and Bosh in Miami instead of staying in Cleveland and trying to get the Cavs a title. After thinking about it some more though would I have been able to resist the urge to do the same if I was in his position? If I was a free agent and had the option of going to Miami to play basketball with two of my best friends, would I say no? I honestly can't tell you what I would do but I do know it wouldn't be an easy decision. Perhaps the most well liked athlete in the world, Tim Tebow, recently picked the New York Jets over his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars yet no one had a problem with it. Sort of the same reason that I haven't started full time at wrestling school. Go do something that has a high probability of failure or spend the time with my friends? Again fearing that I might be successful in something that would leave a mark. Lebron winning a title in Cleveland would have definitely left a mark, much bigger than winning any number of titles in Miami.

Someday I like to think something like this will happen and we'll get a whole new Lebron. (Figuratively of course, although if he really freaks out like this on the court I'd be a fan for life.)

I'll never be a fan of Lebron. You'll never see me wearing a James jersey. He's had too much of a rivalry with my beloved Celtics for that, but my opinion on the man has changed. I understand Lebron and I don't hate him.

I'd like to end this with something for everyone to chew on for a while. If Lebron James was given the choice to have the career he's had or the career of Robert Horry which do you think he'd pick? The choice boils down to himself (obscenely rich, future hall of famer, 2 time MVP, picked apart and bashed every day by everyone in the media) or Horry ("Regular rich, solid role player, 7 championships, nicknamed Big Shot, never talked about unless he does something well). I know which one I'd pick and I think if Lebron was really honest with himself he'd pick the same.

Ok Lebron your session with Josh Viola professional chemistry teacher and amateur psychiatrist is over, I expect my check is in the mail.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment, become a fan of the blog, go back and read all my other blogs, and follow me on twitter @joshviola19. I promise I'll never compare myself to an NBA player again....maybe.

-Josh

Props for KG + Anthony Davis Hype

Welcome back to another edition of Thoughts of a Sports Addict. Wrestlemania is tomorrow, the NCAA championship will be decided Monday, and the NBA playoffs are only a month away. So let's get into it.

How about a hand for Kevin Garnett. The guy has been completely revitalized since the All Star Break. What happened, did he find the fountain of youth? Take a trip to Germany to see Kobe's doctor? Start drinking G1 Gatorade? No, he simply moved positions. Kevin Garnett has been a power forward his whole career, despite the fact that he was usually the tallest player on his teams in Minnesota and Boston. This goes back to when he was drafted and listed himself as 6'11" instead of his true height of 7'1" because he didn't want to get labeled as a center. In 1995, when KG was drafted, a center was pigeonholed as a back-to-the-basket player who worked inside and used their power as opposed to their finesse ability. Garnett was more of a finesse player and wanted to play power forward, where he'd get a chance to play around the perimeter and not be stuck underneath the basket all game. Knowing that KG hates being a center, Doc would consistently put both Glen "Big Baby" Davis or Brandon Bass in the "center" role off the bench when they were on the floor with KG. Every Boston season has seen a heavier player as the starting center, whether it was Kendrick Perkins, Shaq, or Jermaine O'Neal.

Let's fast forward now to around the all star break of this year. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvpp (that's my fast forward noise). Doc has no other options and makes Kevin the starting center with Brandon Bass at power forward. It should be mentioned that up to this point in the season KG was averaging a paltry 14 points per game and around 7 boards. He appeared to be on his last legs, literally, and had even inspired me to write more than one column about how he should probably just call it a career and retire. So KG missed a couple games with what was called "personal issues" and came back ready to contribute. Since moving to center Garnett has averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds per game, while playing the best defense in the league. It could be argued that at the moment he is the second best center in the East, trailing only Dwight Howard. He actually looks like the Kevin Garnett of 2008, just with slightly less athleticism.

So what happened, it can't be just a position change can it? Let's look at the change in position and what it means for KG. When he came into the league most big men were slow plodders who preferred to play inside and score down low. This was perfect for Garnett, because he was quicker than all of them and could have his way with them off the dribble. As he aged however, forwards became quicker and more explosive negating his quickness advantage. When the athleticism left him, KG couldn't compete with athletically elite power forwards anymore and he struggled to be much more than a jump shooter on the offensive end and a merely above-average defender on the defensive end. By moving to center, Kevin is being defended by larger, mostly slower players and his quickness advantage is back. He is still a jump shooter but you can see him go inside more now. He is an incredibly smart player and realizes that the Celtics need an inside presence on the boards, and as the center it's his job now. On the defensive end, he's getting the luxury of playing against more guys who don't play large offensive roles on their team. This is crucial because he now can be more well rested for games against players like Kevin Love and Al Jefferson, the latest two superstar big men that Garnett has shut down.

With this change in position, I think KG could play another couple years if he really wanted to. He may still decide that this is his last year though, as I can't see KG being the type of player to hang around just to be an end of the bench guy, like Juwan Howard, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady etc. At one time he was called "The Kid" and later he was known as the "Big Ticket", he's neither of those now but he's still an all star level player even at 35 years old.

His renaissance is also the reason that I now believe the Celtics could make some noise in the playoffs. It's crucial that they beat out Philadelphia and New York for the division championship but if they can get Indiana in Round 1, then a Bulls team with a banged up Derrick Rose in Round 2, and a lucky break with the Magic in the conference finals, I could see this team getting to the finals somehow. And don't even get me started on maybe winning a championship if we can get a dysfunctional Laker's team or San Antonio in the finals. The Heat are the only team in the conference that I fear, because the Celtics don't match up well with them. Also the Bulls are a poor matchup if Rose is healthy, but he hasn't proven he can be this year.

Before I end this blog I'd just like to throw in my two cents on Anthony Davis. After watching all of one game of his this year, the Final Four game against Louisville, I'm not ready to proclaim him as the next great center yet. First some good stuff about him though. He's got incredible length, with a 7'4" wingspan, great defensive instincts, and what looked to be a pretty solid right handed hook shot. These three things alone will guarantee that he's not only a top pick but, assuming he stays healthy, will get a contract of at least 10 million dollars a year when he becomes a free agent. I do have a lot of worries with Anthony Davis though. During the game they said that two years ago he was 6'2", he appeared to be a subpar rebounder for his size, and he's just missing that "it" factor. When they said he was 6'2" two years ago, that shocked me. How do you grow that much in two years? His body looks like someone just grabbed his arms and legs and started stretching him out like he was a Stretch Arm Strong doll. I'm worried that when he puts on weight to fill out his frame that his knees and joints might have problems. Growing that much that quickly can't be healthy and with his reckless style of play it seems that injuries are inevitable. In my opinion he was outplayed by the Louisville center tonight and even though he grabbed double digit rebounds I wasn't impressed. The game was played at a very fast pace and there were rebounds galore for Kentucky players. Maybe once Davis fills out a bit and has enough muscle to box out better he'll be able to grab some more boards, but it's definitely a worry right now. The last thing that bothers me is that "it" factor. It seems like every guy that ended up being a superstar had it. Either they had an awesome name, like Shaquille, Kareem, (H)Akeem, Lebron, Magic etc., a marketable look, or an infectious personality. I just don't see it with Davis. I feel like when you see a player get drafted you can tell if they're going to be a star 99% of the time. Watching Lebron's high school games I would've bet my life on him being a superstar in the NBA and I would bet that anyone who watched Hasheem Thabeet in college wouldn't have bet 10 cents on him being a superstar. Rarely is the eye test ever wrong. If they don't look like a superstar, they probably never will be. And above all else, let's be honest can you see that unibrow on a billboard? Didn't think so. Could he be a solid player, sure I guess, but Sam Bowie was a solid player too, and for those of you that don't know he was the player drafted one spot ahead of Michael Jordan perhaps the guy with the greatest "it" factor of all time.

Thanks for reading, be sure to leave a comment, become a fan of the blog, follow me on twitter @Joshviola19 and go back and read all my other columns.

-Josh

Finally.....The Rock Is Back

Welcome back to another edition of Thoughts of a Sports Addict, this week I'm going to tackle Wrestlemania 28 and give my predictions for what will happen at the biggest wrestling event of the year.

If you've been reading my blogs and thought "Wow, he really knows his basketball", just wait because that's nothing compared to what I know about professional wrestling. This was going to be a column about the NBA trading deadline but my Celtics didn't do anything and it's just too disappointing to write about how the Lakers were the big winners. So because of that I'm diving into Wrestlemania and proving how big of a dork I really am.

With two weeks to go until the big show there have been seven matches announced. In the undercard we'll watch The Big Show take on Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Title, a 12 man tag team match for control of Raw and Smackdown, and a divas tag team encounter featuring Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounous fighting champion Beth Phoenix and Eve. I would expect at least one more match to be added to the undercard but of all of those matches the one I'm looking forward to the most is Rhodes vs Big Show. Cody, the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and brother of Goldust, has really broken out this year as a great entertainer and should get the win over Show. If you're unfamiliar with the Rhodes Family, check them out in this video.

The real draw of this Wrestlemania are the FOUR main events on the card. How can there be four main events you ask? Very simple actually, there are two world titles and then anytime the Undertaker or the Rock are in a match they are automatically main events. The four this year consist of Sheamus challenging Daniel Bryan for the World Title, CM Punk defending his WWE Title against Chris Jericho, HHH taking on the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell, and the biggest one of all, John Cena versus The Rock. Let's break down all of them, starting with the least interesting.

Sheamus vs World Champion Daniel Bryan: Since there's probably a good chance that you don't know who either of these people are, let's start with a couple videos so that you can get an idea of, at least, what they look like.

So now that you at least know who they both are, let's break down the matchup. As far as in ring talent goes, these two are both very good, Bryan is even considered by many to be the best in the world. The matchup should be very entertaining, as the two have worked well together in the past. I think my favorite part about Daniel Bryan is that he's approximately 5'10" tall and 190lbs, exactly the same size as I am. At the moment he's playing a character that is technically a "bad guy" but there's no way I can cheer against him in this match. As for my prediction, it's set up for Sheamus to be the conquering hero and take out Bryan, so I'm leaning towards that's what's going to happen.

Chris Jericho versus WWE Champion C.M. Punk: Let me get this out of the way now because I know someone is wondering, "What is the difference between the World Title and the WWE Title?" The difference is that one is the top title on Smackdown and the other is the top title on Raw. Chris Jericho and C.M. Punk are fighting over the top title on Raw, otherwise known as the WWE Championship. So with that cleared up, let's go to the videos for these two guys. First up is C.M. Punk, the promo that made him a superstar and the goosebump inducing entrance he had at the Money in the Bank ppv last year.

And two moments of JericHistory, first his 2012 return to the WWE and then his original debut back in 1999, the debut that made him a star in professional wrestling.

As for the actual match, I would guess that C.M. Punk will emerge victorious, after what should be a VERY entertaining match. Punk and Jericho are two of the greatest in-ring talents and mic workers of all time in professional wrestling. Punk has just been on too much of a roll to have Jericho take the title now, especially when rumors are that Jericho will be taking off the spring to tour with his band, Fozzy.

Triple H vs The Undertaker: Anyone that has ever watched wrestling should be able to tell you who the Undertaker is and most likely will be able to tell you who Triple H is. The Undertaker has a 19-0 record at Wrestlemania and every match over the last 8 years or so has been promoted as someone trying to break the streak, and this year is no exception. Triple H has twice tried to break the streak, failing in 2001 and last year. With both wrestlers being only part time attractions these days, I can't see HHH breaking the streak. There should be limited drama over the result and Undertaker should get to 20-0. The interesting part of the match is that it will take place in a Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. Michaels has a storied history with both men, actually having wrestled both HHH and Undertaker in a Cell match himself. Some of you also may remember that Shawn and HHH formed the group known as Degeneration-X, starting in late 1997 and reforming in 2006.

And now for the videos for these two. First we'll start with the moment when the Undertaker returned to challenge HHH to a match at Wrestlemania.

Highlights from last years match, a true battle between two of the all time greats.

And finally, a tribute to the special referee Shawn Michaels. His history with both men is well documented and should be a nice addition to an already great match.

The Rock vs John Cena: Let's be honest, this is the real main event of the show. This is the match a year in the making, having been made the day after last years Wrestlemania. The Rock coming back in February 2011 was a huge shock for most wrestling fans and was trumped in November when Rock put on the wrestling tights again for a match, his first in almost 8 years. John Cena was extremely critical of the Rock when he returned, using the fact that Rock left for 7 years as a reason for why the fans shouldn't cheer him. This whole match really breaks down into one main question, how old are you? If you're a fan that has been watching for a while and is old enough to remember when the The Rock was the man from 1998-2002, then you're cheering for him, however if you are younger and started watching later then John Cena is your guy. For me, I'm pulling for the Rock to get the win. Adding to the drama of the match is that it will be taking place in the Rock's hometown of Miami, Florida. There's going to be a lot of videos for this one, because the two are so great and the build has been so long. So let's get started.

We'll start with John Cena, featuring what Cena used to be like and what he is now. First, the John Cena that I was a fan of back in 2003 when he was doing his Vanilla Ice/white rapper thing.

Then moving on to what he's become....issuing a challenge to the Rock

The Rock coming back has brought out some of the old edge that Cena used to have, the edge that made me a fan back in 2003 and would make me a fan today.....but he just doesn't have "it" anymore.

So that's John Cena, let's move on to the Rock. This is probably my favorite Rock moment ever.

The return of the Rock in 2011

The Rock Concert for John Cena

These two are arguably the two most entertaining wrestlers of the last 15 years and in two weeks they'll go one on one to decide who the best really is. As far as I'm concerned, no matter what happens, the Rock will always be the best all around entertainer I've ever had the privilege of watching on a wrestling show.

Thanks for reading, I assume 99% of you have now confirmed your assumptions as far as me being a huge dork are concerned. I hope you enjoyed the videos, I had a good time watching them again. My hope is that next year I get to write something like this again, but that the big star making his comeback to the ring is a different guy.....maybe someone who will open up a can of whoop ass or stomp a mudhole and walk it dry or flip the bird...someone like,

Be sure to leave a comment, become a fan of the blog, and go back and read all my other blogs.

-Josh

Luck(y) Horseshoe: Peyton's Gone

Peyton Manning is no longer a Colt. Let that sink in. Can you even name the last quarterback that was number 1 in Indianapolis? I'll save you the google search and tell you that it was Jim Harbaugh, the same Jim Harbaugh who is now coaching the 49ers. I can't even imagine what Peyton Manning will look like with a different logo on his helmet, it just seems wrong. Much like Joe Montana with the Chiefs, Michael Jordan with the Wizards, and Willie Mays with the Mets, Peyton will just look out of place in another teams uniform.

I'm a Patriots fan. I think Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the league and that the Patriots have been the best franchise of the past 11 years. But I also have all the respect in the world for Peyton Manning. I've tried to hate him, I really have. I don't want to like a guy that routinely is said to be better than Tom Brady and plays for a team that can be argued as the greatest of the 2000's, but I just can't help it. He's a great player, from all accounts an extremely quality human being, and an extraordinarily funny guy. There's something about Archie and Eli Manning that is innately "hateable" but Peyton didn't inherit that quality.

March 7th will go down as the day that Peyton Manning, the best quarterback in Colts history was released. It wasn't cold or emotionless, both Peyton and Colts owner Jim Irsay shed tears at the press conference, and there was the insinuation that Peyton will always be a part of the Colts organization and the city of Indianapolis. But it happened, the Colts told Peyton Manning that they didn't want him anymore, choosing instead to go with unproven rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.

I'm going to miss the battles between the Patriots and Colts, featuring Manning and Brady. They always seemed to be epic and were as big a part of my childhood sports fandom as anything. He was a player that I always feared having the ball with the game on the line against my team but he became more than that. Peyton Manning grew into a player that I respected more than any other in the NFL, including Tom Brady. Peyton doesn't hob knob in Hollywood, change his hairstyle by the week, or ditch Indianapolis as soon as the season is over, he's a football player who put his heart and soul into a small market city and turned them into a Superbowl champion.

I like to think of Peyton as the classy Brett Favre. I guarantee that you'll never hear "BREAKING NEWS PEYTON SEXTS INTERN" or see him retire only to repeatedly come back. He's like Brett Favre though when it comes to being a great quarterback in a small market that formed a bond with the fans of that city closer than any other quarterback could have. Unlike Green Bay, Indianapolis does have another major sports team, the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for the Pacers they haven't had an iconic player since Reggie Miller retired, so Peyton has been the sole king of Indiana for the last 5+ years. He means more to that city than any other athlete means to their city.

I know I've rambled and I know that I probably repeated myself a bunch, but these are just my off the cuff feelings on what happened today. All I know after today is that I'd HATE to be Andrew Luck. He's going to be paid a kings ransom as the number 1 pick in the draft to try and replace a legend. Good luck to him, it's not going to be easy to escape the enormous shadow of Peyton Manning, especially if he goes somewhere else and wins a Superbowl.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment, become a fan of this blog, and follow me on twitter @joshviola19.

-Josh

The Trade Deadline Approaches

Remember those movies where there's a crazy guy with an axe waiting for an unsuspecting person to walk into the dark house? Well Danny Ainge is the crazy guy with the axe and the Celtics are the unsuspecting person walking into the house. He's going to figuratively chop them apart (although I don't think he'd mind literally hitting Jermaine O'Neal with an axe).

What are the possibilities? Who might be coming in? Who might be sent out? Could they do nothing? Are they going to blow it up or try to compete for a title?

These are the kind of questions that Danny Ainge needs to be asking himself. The last one is the most interesting because that will determine every move that follows. From everything I've seen this season, as presently constructed, the Celtics can not win a championship. The problem is that they are stuck in the same position that they were when Danny took over, mediocrity. It's the death zone for an NBA team, just good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to really compete. You never get a high enough draft pick to obtain a franchise player and you never get over the hump to being a great team. The only options they have now are to "blow it up" and start all over again, hope for a big free agent signing, or make trades to keep the team a title contender.

Option 1 Blow It Up: This is a pretty enticing option for many reasons. The age of the Big 3 is a huge concern going forward, Rondo is reportedly a problem in the locker room and hard to get along with, KG and Ray are done after this year, and the 2012 draft looks great. If this is the course of action that the Celtics choose to take, then it would pretty much just be a firesale to get what they can out of the guys they have and then tank for a good pick in the draft. Taking some rumors I've read lately, you might see something like Ray Allen to Minnesota for Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, and Darko Milicic. Then Rondo sent to Golden State in return for Steph Curry and Kwame Brown, while Pierce could be dealt to LA (Pierce in purple and gold makes me want to puke) in a three team deal to net the Celtics draft picks and players. Kevin Garnett would be tough to deal because of his large contract, but worst case scenario his contract is just allowed to expire after the season. The Celtics would go into next season with Steph Curry and at least three first round picks. Not a bad starting spot for a rebuilding team. This was the strategy that Ainge used before he got KG and Ray Allen. He stockpiled draft picks like Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Jeff Green etc. and then cashed them in for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett when the time was right.

Option 2 Pray for Dwight: This is really the only big time free agent signing that would help this team for next year. If the Celtics just stand pat at the trade deadline and allow this team to finish the year then they must be reasonably sure that Dwight is coming to Boston. The only potential move that would make sense would be to send Rondo to Golden State in the aforementioned deal for Steph Curry and Kwame Brown. Curry makes less than Rondo and would allow the Celtics to also make a play for Deron Williams (a close friend of Dwight). This is the plan that I like the most but also the least likely to happen unfortunately. Imagine a Celtics starting five next year of Williams-Curry-Pierce-Garnett(re-signed)-Howard. That's a lineup that would immediately compete for a championship.

Option 3 Reload: This option is really only good for this year. The Celtics need a couple things right now to become a team that can compete for a championship. They need a big guy that rebounds and can score inside and a perimeter player that can create his own offense. With the news coming out today(2/29) that Lamar Odom would like to be bought out and come to Boston that would solve the big man problem. As much as I hated Lamar when he played for the Lakers he is a good big man that can rebound and score inside. The perimeter player that can create his own offense could come from another legitimate rumor circulating the web, Jermaine O'Neal and a 1st round pick to Minnesota for Michael Beasley. I know that "Super Cool Beas" doesn't have the best reputation but he's exactly what the Celtics need for their ailing offense. At 23 he also could be a major player for the future. Probably my least favorite option because even with those moves the Celtics still aren't getting by the Heat or Bulls, but at least they'd be contenders.

Those are really the only three options that Danny Ainge has and by March 15th, the trade deadline, we'll all know which one he chose. Personally I'm hoping that, whatever he decides to do, Paul Pierce is still wearing Green when it's all said and done. I was watching some youtube videos earlier and this one caught my eye. I would recommend watching the whole thing but if not then at least fast forward to the 8:00 mark and look at Paul Pierce's face when he gets his ring. It clearly means something for him to be a Celtic and to win with the Celtics. He needs to be here to teach the next generation of players what being a "Celtic" is all about.

The second thing I want to talk about is the Dwight Howard situation in Orlando. It seems like every day new information comes out about where he wants to be traded, or even if he wants to be traded. In the last week I think I've read that he wants to be traded to New Jersey, LA, Dallas, or Chicago, then I read that he might exercise his player option and stay in Orlando another year, then I heard that he wants to become a free agent so he can pick his destination. I'm not even sure Dwight Howard knows what he wants to do. The problem with Dwight Howard is that he saw what happened to Lebron when he left the Cavs and he saw what happened to Carmelo when he forced his way out of Denver. Dwight doesn't want the backlash that either of them got because he loves to be loved, but at the same time he wants to leave Orlando. My prediction on the whole situation is that he doesn't get traded before the deadline this year. I actually think that Orlando might bring in another star to play with Dwight, perhaps Steve Nash if they can get him away from Phoenix. Dwight has given the Orlando ownership and general manager Otis Smith enough of an indication that he might be open to staying that I don't think they'll trade him. It will be terrible for the Magic when he leaves in free agency this summer, most likely for Dallas or Brooklyn, but I don't blame the Magic for hoping that he'll stay. Whether it's by trade or through free agency, Dwight is leaving Orlando and most likely going to wherever Deron Williams ends up. Just remember when you boo Lebron for leaving Cleveland high and dry that Dwight is going to do the same to Orlando. I would respect him more if he just told them that he wasn't going to re-sign and said "trade me now, I'm not coming back" (or just signs an extension) but he doesn't want to be the "bad guy" so that's not happening. At least Carmelo was honest with the Nuggets. Dwight Howard may think of himself as Superman but right now he's showing that he has the fragile ego of Clark Kent.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment, become a fan of this blog, go back and read all my other posts, and enjoy what could be the last two weeks of the Big 4 era in Boston.

-Josh

An Epitaph for the Big 3

Welcome back to another edition of Thoughts of a Sports Addict.

Name: Boston Celtics Big 3

Time of death: 2/20/2012 at 9:00pm

Cause of Death: Murdered by Father Time

I've given up on the Big 3. I've always considered myself an optimist but from everything I've seen this season, I just can't picture this team winning a playoff series, let alone a championship. The defense is still there however offensively the Celtics are abysmal, not even able to score over 100 points against the worst teams in the league. So what happened, can it really just be father time?

Let's investigate.

One of the major problems with the Celtics' offense is that the starters don't all play the same style. Look at some of the most efficient offenses in the league over the last few years. Teams like the Suns, Spurs, Heat, early 2000's Kings, and even Mavs have starting fives that fit well together and have a set style of play that they adhere to. The Celtics' problem is that Rondo wants to run but Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, KG, and Jermaine O'Neal want to slow it down and play in the half court. Rondo is a terrible shooter and therefore almost useless in a half court offense. The problem gets multiplied when you realize that Jermaine O'Neal is useless in any kind of offense. That's two players who really don't need to be guarded in the half court, allowing their men to sag off and play help defense on Pierce, KG, and Ray. I remember when Jermaine O'Neal was a GREAT player, it was right around the time I was playing 8th grade basketball.....10 years ago. He's not even a shadow of his former self though, as evidenced from his inability to make a jump shot or finish around the basket. JO goes out every night trying to do his best Kendrick Perkins impression. Speaking of shadows of their former selves, Ray Allen is only good for shooting at this point in his career and KG has settled into being an 18 foot jump shooter. Paul Pierce is the only player left on the team that can create his own offense in the half court set. A major problem for a team that relies heavily on scoring points in the half court.

Another huge problem for the Celtics has been Doc Rivers' coaching. I like Doc as much as the next Celtics fan, but he needs to realize that it isn't 2008 anymore and Ray Allen can't be a focal point of the offense. In the four years since he arrived in Boston, Ray has lost a lot of his explosive first step. This means that when he curls off screens for jumpers his man is already up on him to contend the shot. What I would like to see Doc do is shake up the whole team by making a lineup change. He can go two ways with the change, either have Rondo come off the bench or have Pierce and Jermaine come off the bench. If he has Rondo come off the bench then Avery would start and they would play a half court game. The other team would have to stay up on Avery to honor his jump shot. When KG comes out of the game after the first five minutes, Avery comes with him and Rondo and Brandon Bass enter. Wilcox would sub in for Jermaine as well and the lineup would run run run. Pietrus would replace either Ray or Pierce a few minutes later and the run and gun offense would continue. The other option, which is my favorite, would be to bring Pierce and JO off the bench. Start Rondo, Allen, Pietrus, Garnett, and Wilcox and start the game running and gunning. In this lineup Rondo is surrounded with shooters and a center that can run with him and finish on the fast break. When Garnett goes out, bring in Pierce, Jermaine, and Brandon Bass. This will give Pierce free reign to create against either the other teams subs or their winded starters.

Let's be honest though, the biggest reason that the Celtics are struggling is Father Time. He is the reason that Jordan isn't dominating anymore, Bill Russell isn't winning, Nolan Ryan isn't throwing no hitters, Babe Ruth isn't hitting home runs, Joe Montana isn't throwing td's, and Wayne Gretzky isn't scoring goals. Father Time is the only person that will definitely retire undefeated. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett aren't leading this team, or any team, to a championship because they've lost most of their athleticism and just can't compete with the younger teams. A team like OKC will run them off the floor.

Speaking of the Thunder, it's interesting to imagine how different things might be if the Celtics hadn't gotten screwed in the lottery in 2007. Just think about this starting lineup right now... Rondo, Pierce, Durant, Jefferson, Perkins. Theoretically this could be the Celtics lineup if they had gotten lucky in the lottery. Would I trade the 2008 championship for a lineup with Rondo/Durant/Jefferson starting the next 10 years? No, but it's not an easy decision and I did have to think long and hard about it.

I think the reason that I've had such a hard time with coming to terms with the end of the Big 3 is that I'm a wrestling fan. You see, for those of you who don't know, wrestlers don't get worse when they get older. The Undertaker is 47 years old and will be main eventing Wrestlemania this year. He's been wrestling since I started watching 20 years ago and is still a top guy in the business, while there isn't one basketball player that has been in the league for 20 years that is still star. So when I hear that Kevin Garnett is making his return to the Celtics after missing a couple games, I picture him coming in and saving the team. Sort of like this video: KG=Hogan Celtics=Eugene Opponents=Crazy Middle Eastern Guys

When Paul Pierce missed the first 3 games of the season and the Celtics started 0-3, I pictured his return going something like this....Pierce is obviously Stone Cold

But unfortunately real sports aren't like wrestling, older players don't miraculously find the fountain of youth and start to dominate again. Even though Hulk Hogan can still come out and save other wrestlers, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen can't save the Celtics anymore. Sorry KG, anything may be possible but unless you turn into Benjamin Button it's impossible for the Celtics to win the championship. So what else can I say except..........Thank You, the Big 3 coming to Boston provided me with moments that I will never forget, and the best four years I've had as a sports fan.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment, follow this blog, go back and read all my other entries, and enjoy the last games of the Big 3 era.

-Josh

The Forgotten Legend

Welcome back to another edition of Thoughts of a Sports Addict. In this entry I'm going to take a look at an NBA legend that has recently gone bankrupt. Not only monetarily but also in terms of his legacy. So let's take a look at....

"THE ANSWER" ALLEN IVERSON

All anyone ever thinks of anymore when the topic of Allen Iverson is brought up is the "Practice" rant that he went on. While it is an all time great interview, it also has clouded peoples view of one of the best basketball players of all time.

Let's just look at the awards that he amassed in his 15 year NBA career.

-1st overall selection in the 1996 draft

-1997 Rookie of the Year

-11x NBA All Star

-2x NBA All Star MVP

-4x NBA Scoring Champion

-3x All NBA First Team

-3x All NBA Second Team

-NBA MVP

That's a hell of a lot of achievements for a guy that is mostly remembered for a rant. Allen Iverson was the most iconic player in the NBA over the course of his career. He wasn't just a prolific scorer but a true trendsetter. Never before had a player completely disregarded the unwritten rules of a major business. While Michael Jordan and every other major star was wearing suits, AI was rocking baggy shorts, XXXL shirts and throwback jerseys. Most players had shaved heads or Fade hair styles, Iverson changed all that with his cornrowed look. He was counterculture, a rebel, and a hero to every young person who watched the NBA. You know that when even little awkward white boys like me wanted to dress like him, he had major influence.

For those of you that may not remember the '90's, which makes me feel extremely old, it was a time of rebellion. Whether it was Nirvana cranking out hits, Steve Austin beating up his boss, hip hop becoming cool, or Allen Iverson wearing cornrows, baggy pants, and oversized throwbacks, the 90's were dominated by people who were counterculture. It was the perfect match of the right time and the right player.

So now that we've covered all the off-court reasons of why Allen Iverson is a legend, let's move back to on-court. Today, with all the advanced metrics that experts use to evaluate players, AI's career has been picked apart and downplayed more than any other former player. They say that he wasn't efficient, had a low pps, low ts%, a high usg%, and other bad advanced stats that I don't know anything about. Here's what I know, he had career averages of 26.7pts, 6.2asts, 3.7rbs, and 2.2stls. He peaked in 2005-06 averaging 33.0pts and 7.4asts per game. He was the MVP in 2001 and led the 76ers to the finals that same year. Everyone talks about how Lebron led a terrible Cavs team to the finals in 2007, but look at the team that AI brought to the finals.

2000-2001 Philadelphia 76ers

Starters: Eric Snow, Allen Iverson, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, and Dikembe Mutombo

Bench: Matt Geiger, Todd MacCulloch, Jumaine Jones, Aaron Mckie, Kevin Ollie, Roshown McLeod, Rodney Buford, Raja Bell, Pepe Sanchez, and Speedy Claxton.

That team is TERRIBLE other than Iverson and Mutombo. The only reason that they went to the finals was because of AI. At six feet tall and 170 pounds soaking wet he did EVERYTHING for them. I've never seen someone with as much heart and determination as Iverson, he took a beating every game and kept coming back for more. Even stepping back from the incredible stats, there are other ways that a player can be defined. Think about when you watch a game, whether it's the NBA, MLB, NFL, or NHL, what players do you fear when they're facing your team? As a huge fan of the Celtics, I can remember watching countless games against the 76ers and always watching in absolute fear because I knew that Allen Iverson could take over the game at any moment. There are only few players that can make a fan feel that way. In my time watching I've only felt that way about Iverson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Jason Kidd. I knew that when those guys came into town, the Celtics probably weren't going to be leaving with a W.

It's been said that as generations go by, the memories fade as well and fans start to proclaim the new generation as better. It's the reason that young fans today try and claim that Kobe is better than Jordan or that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wouldn't be able to play in the league today. Well, the same thing is starting to happen to the guys that I grew up watching. Fans who started watching today are only going to remember Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett as worse versions of Blake Griffin, and Jason Kidd as the guy who can't hit a jumper for the Mavs. This is the reason that it's so frustrating to hear fans today compare Allen Iverson to guys like Monta Ellis. It's not that Monta isn't on Iverson's level, it's that he's not even on the level below him.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment, go back and read all my other posts, become a fan of DieN2LivE on Facebook, and enjoy the games.

Josh

Paul Pierce Passes Larry Legend

I know, I know two blogs in three days is overkill but I had to write this one. I mean I was at the game on Tuesday and got to see it live, it was probably the greatest sporting event that I've ever been to. What am I talking about? Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird, for second place, on the Celtics all time scoring list.

In my life I've watched a lot of sports, which I'm sure you've guessed from the title of my blog, but the one sport that I love more than any other is basketball. More specifically NBA basketball. The team that I love more than any other in the NBA is the Boston Celtics, which if you've read any of my other blogs was probably obvious. I've been blessed growing up in New England and having the Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins, but they all take a back seat to the Celtics for me. Being a huge Celtics fan my whole life I've gotten to watch a lot of players suit up in the green and white, guys like Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, and even the much loved Walter McCarty have come and gone but the one constant, and my favorite player, has been Paul Pierce.

I was twelve years old when I remember sitting down and watching a complete Celtics game from start to finish. It's the only sport where I can remember the first game I ever watched and exactly how it ended. I was watching it up in my room and the Nets had the ball with 2.0 seconds left and a two point lead, all they had to do was get the ball in bounds and the game was over. What happened next set the tone for my obsession. Milt Palacio stole the ball and hit a miracle three from just over half court, winning the game for the Celtics. The whole team mobbed him and had a pig pile on the court, including even Coach Rick Pitino, it was the most exciting sporting event I had ever watched up to that point. Amazingly this made it to Youtube...

From that moment on I was a fan and rarely missed a game. I remember being scared to death when it was reported that Paul Pierce was in critical condition after being stabbed in a nightclub in Philly. I remember being outraged that Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker were left off the all star team in 2001. How could anyone who watched it forget the 21 point 4th quarter comeback against the Nets in game 3 of the 2002 eastern conference finals or the three that Antoine Walker banked in to beat the Lakers earlier in the season? I remember when Paul Pierce had a 2 point first half followed by a 46 point second half to beat the Nets. I remember when Antoine got traded the first time and the Celtics were Paul Pierce's team, he talked about reading books on how to become a leader over the summer and looked ready to take it on. I remember when he failed as the leader during the 2005 playoffs against Indiana and trade rumors ran rampant all summer, one that was even so close that Pierce had to publicly make a statement to kill it. (The trade was Paul Pierce to Portland for Nick Van Exel and the #3 pick in the draft, which would be used to take Chris Paul). The 2005-2006 season is when Paul Pierce finally grew up and it was incredible to watch.

I want to really dig into that 2005-2006 season. The Celtics weren't very successful but really that was secondary. This part of the decade was when star players on bad teams were forcing their way out of town to join good teams, Vince Carter did it, Tracy Mcgrady did it, Kobe forced Shaq out, it was done by seemingly everyone, except Paul Pierce. He finally took the responsibility of being a star player and a franchise guy. It was like he finally understood that the Celtics were HIS team and that it was his job to make sure that they gave maximum effort every night, even if he was starting with Brian Scalabrine, Marcus Banks, and two kids who weren't even old enough to drink in Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins. Paul Pierce became a man that season.

Then Paul Pierce did something that I never thought he'd do.....he made me cry. I'm not one to be very emotional, I couldn't tell you the last time I cried out of sadness or anger, but May 30th 2008 was the last time I cried out of happiness. It was the day that Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics won the Eastern Conference Finals by beating the Pistons in six games. I wasn't weeping or anything, just teared up a bit when I saw Paul and Doc Rivers embracing on the court in celebration. The people I was watching with looked at me like I was crazy but they didn't live and die with the Celtics like I had over the last 10 years. For me it was bigger than just a trip to the finals for a team that I liked, it was Paul Pierce coming back from being stabbed, it was the trade that didn't happen with Pierce to Portland, it was about Erick Strickland, Tony Battie, Eric Williams, Milt Palacio, Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker, Al Jefferson, Kenny Anderson, and every other guy that loved being a Celtic that wasn't there to enjoy the moment. So yeah, I cried, but it was like being a parent and seeing your kids grow up, I couldn't have been more proud of any team I've ever watched.

All of this brings us to Tuesday night. I only go to one or two games a year and when I realized that this might be the game that he passed Bird, I was excited to be a witness to history. Going into the game Pierce needed 9 points to tie and 10 points to pass Larry Legend and move into second place on the Celtics' all time scoring list. He started out slow, scoring seven points in the first half, but early in the third quarter it happened, and the Garden exploded.

I chose this fan video as opposed to the live broadcast because it showed how long the standing ovation was for. We stood and cheered from the moment the basket when in, through 3 free throws for the Bobcats, through the timeout that happened after and then through the video that the played for him. At the end of the video that put the spotlight on an empty spot on the banner of retired numbers, indicating that Pierce's 34 will someday join them. That was the moment that really hit home for me, when they showed that banner of retired numbers and I thought about Pierce having his number added, it made me realize just how privileged I'd been to get to watch him play. For the last 14 years I've gotten to watch one of the best scorers in the history of not only the Celtics, but the entire NBA. He was drafted by Boston, was a 9 time all star in Boston, won a championship in Boston, won a Finals MVP in Boston, and hopefully he'll retire in Boston. Paul Pierce may be from Inglewood California, he may have grown up a Lakers' fan, but he will always be a Celtic.

When I heard the experts talking about this accomplishment, they mostly downplayed it and made sure to say that Pierce wasn't in Larry Bird's league. I'll be the first one to say that he isn't in Bird's league but what the experts need to understand is that I'm 23 years old and for my generation of Celtics' fans, Paul Pierce IS our Larry Bird.

It's been a complete honor to watch Paul Pierce play. For as long as I've been watching basketball he's been the best player on my favorite team. The day that he does retire and have his number retired will be bittersweet for me. Much like graduating college or high school, I'll be sad its over but happy that it happened and proud to say that I got to experience it. I heard a dad talking to his young son at the game on Tuesday and he was telling him all about watching Larry Bird back in the 1980's and I smiled to myself thinking that someday I'll be able to go to a game with my kids and tell them about getting to watch Paul Pierce. (Authors Note: For those of you don't know me, I have no kids) For the rest of my life I'll get to be "that guy" who sees the new players and tells people that they're good, but they'd never be better than the guy I grew up watching.

It was a historic day for Paul Pierce and for everyone that has been a fan of his since he came into the league. I've seen a Red Sox vs Yankees game which doubled as Roger Clemens last start in Fenway Park, I saw Manny Ramirez hit his first grand slam as a Red Sox player, and I've been to a dozen Celtics game, but nothing will ever compare to watching Paul Pierce make history in the TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Thanks for reading, be sure to go back and read all my other columns, leave a comment, become a fan of this blog, and let me know if there's anything specific that you'd like to see me write about, I'm open to anything sports related.

-Josh