• If Lamar “The Candy Man” Odom plays like this the rest of the way, give the Lakers the trophy now. Someone get this guy some Runts, or some Nerds, or something.
• McDonald’s LeBron James-Dwight Howard commercial reminded me of the ill-timed Kobe Bryant-LeBron James puppet show last year. Note to Ronald: get KG or Kobe a Happy Meal once in awhile.
• Another horrendous suit by Craig Sager (did you know this site was almost named SagersSuitSucks.com?) — even Phil Jackson couldn’t help but make fun of Sages … during the game!
• Gained some respect for Vanessa Bryant after reppin’ that black “Do I Look Illegal?” shirt courtside — making a jab at Arizona’s lame immigration law.
• Shannon Brown has some serious hops, almost pulling a Vince Carter on (make that, over) Jason Richardson.
• With Mike D’Antoni long gone, or as I like to say, “LeGone,” the Suns are a “defensive team.” Yeah, right. And Kobe’s not going to complain to the officials next time he misses a shot in traffic. HEY!

Bad news for Thunder fans, so sayeth the common wisdom.  Basketball blogs have been saying for weeks that every other West team simply wanted to avoid that first-round date with LA.

So will this match-up produce the typical #1 seed vs. #8 yawn-fest?

Not so fast.

We’ll break this series down in greater detail from a few different perspectives later this week, but here’s a couple of quick LAL/OKC thoughts to chew on:

*First of all, it never makes sense to me that bloggers, fans and beat writers obsess over first-round matchups and seeding at the bottom end of the bracket.  Of course, home-court advantage is critical, and so the focus on the jockeying at the top of the playoff bracket is worthy of attention.  But why should the Thunder or their fans care whether they are the sixth, seventh, or eighth seed?   Either way they will need to beat the best to be the best.  Sure enough, year after year, players always say as much whenever they are interviewed on this question.  Here’s a mind-numbing thought for Thunder fans:  if you harbor even the faintest hopes of your team winning the title this season, perhaps you’d actually prefer to face the defending champs in the first round.  With Andrew Bynum out indefinitely and the Lakers having lost six of their last 10, there’s no time like the present to attempt the impossible.  And again, either way, they would need to eventually beat the best to be the best.

*This will be Kevin Durant’s first career trip to the postseason, no doubt the first of many.  The Durantula’s breakout season will end with his first career scoring title, 30 points per game, and a likely top-3 finish in MVP voting.  It might end with a thud, though, when Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant take turns pushing, shoving, and elbowing him all series.  Durant Twittered earlier this year that Artest was the toughest defender he’s faced; can the slender forward withstand that punishment and still provide 35-40% of the Thunder’s offense in a six or seven-game series?  I don’t think so.  Phil Jackson and his staff have a week to prepare for this young man, and then a two-week series to analyze and make adjustments to his every movement.  Think about this:  Durant has probably never had an opponent prepare for him as much as the Lakers are about to.

*Thunder coach Scotty Brooks is a front-runner for Coach of the Year, and is widely respected for both the effort his team plays with and his X’s and O’s.   Can he out-coach Jackson in a seven-game series?  He would have to for OKC to have a chance to win.

*Derek Fisher can’t chase down lightning-quick point guards anymore.  Russell Westbrook is a lightning quick point guard.  However, Westbrook is turnover-prone and a bad shooter, and I think Fisher has enough veteran guile to avoid being badly outplayed in this matchup.

*Remember this name:  Thabo Sefalosha.  If you’re a casual NBA fan, he might be the best player you’ve never heard of.  But you’re about to hear his name a lot, because his performance might be the difference in this series. Who is he?  Sefalosha is OKC’s shooting guard, and arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA. He will be guarding Kobe for 40 minutes a night in this series, and his defense will be the difference between blowouts in the Lakers’ favor and close games that the Thunder has a chance of winning with a few breaks.  No pressure, Thabo – you just have to slow down one of the two best players in the world. Can he force Kobe to take 30 shots to get his 30 points?

*An 8-seed has beaten a 1-seed only once in the history of the seven-game first-round format, and that was during the 2007 playoffs when the Warriors upset the Mavs.   The lightning-quick Warriors played uber-small ball and gave Dallas fits at the offensive end, as Dirk and Dampier hopelessly lumbered after a barrage of three-point bombers. Perhaps the Lakers share a few parallels to those Mavs: an aging, star-filled team, prone to lapses in concentration, with a soft 7-foot scorer, facing a smallish, young upstart team that’s willing to go through a brick wall for its coach.

But there’s one huge difference – the Mavs’ best player (Dirk) was a defensive liability in that series, and Kobe is one of the best defenders in the game.  I think that he and Artest will combine to make Durant’s first postseason into a trip that he will soon hope to forget.

Lakers in five, closing it out on their own home floor.

I have a feeling Kobe, DFish and Co. were drinking better than us this past weekend -- not that Moose Drool Ale and $10 stoggies are a bad thing.

Now that the dust, champagne, confetti and rioting has settled, let’s look back at some thoughts from a weekend in Vegas, my 32nd birthday (I’m feeling really old after this one) and, oh yeah, the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Finals in five games over the Orlando Magic:

• I might not love Derrick Fisher as much as ESPN Radio’s homerish crew of Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown and Dr. Jack Ramsay, but damn did that dude save the trip and the birthday. I don’t think I went to an ATM once this weekend thanks to the dough we bankrolled off those bombs he hit in Game 4.

• Speaking of sportsbooks, a look at the favorites to win the 2010 title: Lakers favored at 5-2, Cavs at 3-1, Celtics 5-1, Orlando 7-1, Denver 12-1. Thirteen teams are 100-1, including three from Calif. – Golden State, Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers. Time to shake your moneymaker Lambo and get some dough on them Clipps.

• Speaking of Vegas pros, where’s Lakers sixth man Ryantific’s contributions after this victory?

• What a difference a year healthy Trevor Ariza and unhealthy Kevin Garnett make.

• Who was the second best team in the playoffs this year? Thuggish Ruggish Nuggets get my vote.

• Anyone in the media going to ask Phil Jackson if he’s going to return next year? I know he’s under contract, but dude admitted he wasn’t himself this year and that this was a “learned” group that he didn’t exactly have to coach up. Big Phil’s got 10 rings as a coach, passing Red, dates a former Playboy model who is also the owner’s daughter, and has a cabin near some of the best fly fishing waters the world has to offer in Montana. What more does he have to prove?

• Kobe Bryant had plenty to prove during these Finals. And he proved worthy of the Finals MVP, even though he didn’t have his best series.

• What a great year and a half it’s been for Kobe. First MVP, gold medal, Shaq-less NBA title, Finals MVP. Awards aren’t everything, but they tend to be nowadays when trying to decide who’s the “greatest.” On a side note, did you know George Mikan, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, John Havlicek and Rick Barry never won MVPs? Crazy stuff.

• Is Kobe’s legacy that much greater now that he’s won a title without Shaq? In this day, maybe. But dude’s one of the greatest to play no matter what. Just think of all those great players who never won titles (Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, Iverson, Kidd, Nash), and Kobe’s got four!

• At the same time, let’s not forget Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant had plenty of help from Scottie Pippen Pau Gasol and  Tony Kukoc Lamar Odom and Steve Kerr Derrick Fisher this time around.

• So this one is a big one for Kobe. Those three with Shaq were largely because of Shaq. After all, Shaq won all three of those Finals MVPs, and also helped D-Wade and the Heat win a title a few years later (look at where the Heat were before and after that).

• Either way, you have to have experience and a big man (or in this day of centerless teams, a power forward like Gasol or KG or Duncan) to win an NBA title.

• Orlando has it’s big man, so the difference this year was clearly the experience (which is always key, especially for 32-year-old, broke-ass bloggers in Vegas). Kobe (31), Fisher (34), Phil (older than Yoda) had it. Dwight, whoever their starting point guard was on a given night, Stan VanG didn’t.

It’s nice to see being old pays off from time to time.

Kobe vs. Lebron. Too bad only their puppets are playing in The Finals.

According to Jeff VanGundy and ABC and ESPN and Fox Sports Net and Co.: Kobe Bryant is the “best closer in the game.”

Well, Tuesday night he wasn’t. Two huge turnovers and missing 12 of your final 16 shots (not to mention 5 of 10 free throws) would suggest otherwise.

But does this make Kobe any less of a “great closer?” Probably not. He is one of the best players of all-time, and certainly one of the most clutch players of our generation.

As J.A. Adande points out, even M.J., “The Greatest Closer, Starter and Everything in Between,” had some tough times in the fourth quarter.

But I have to raise the question, is Kobe Bryant really the best closer in the league?

With LeBron James around, at least there’s an argument there.

In fact, the numbers tend to suggest LeBron James was a better closer this season.

According to 82games.com, sortable stats from the regular season showed James shot for a better percentage (47.2% to 43.6%), had more points (7.7 to 7.3), rebounds (2.0 to 1.3) and assists (1.7 to 0.9) than Kobe in the fourth quarters of games.

And James’ “clutch” stats, meaning stats during the final five minutes of a five-point game, are through the roof – shooting 55.6% from the floor (to Kobe’s 45.7%) and 42.1% from 3-point land (to Kobe’s 40%).

In fact, if you average out their clutch stats over 48 minutes, they’re lines look something like this:

James: 55.9 points, 14.3 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, 3.5 steals

Bryant: 56.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.0 blocks, 1.0 steals

But it looks like Bryant will have the last laugh, and the ring, when this season is said and done.

So I guess in those terms, Bryant (with the help of his teammates) would be the better finisher in 2008-09. 

Again, too bad only their puppets are playing in The Finals.

OK, so all anyone is going to talk about Monday morning at work is Bruno, aka Sacha Baron Cohen or “Borat,” tea-bagging Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards tonight.

Yeah, I saw it: watched the MTV Movie Awards with the wifey in between doing laundry, while the rest of the hommies played a poker tournament across town: that kind of crap tends to happen when you’re married with kids.

Anywho, in case you aren’t married with kids, and have a life, you can see the Eminem-Bruno 69 video here. Cover your eyes kids.

Probably fake, but funny nonetheless. If anybody deserved that, you know Eminem had it coming.

And the best part? It  sucked the … ummm … wind? …  out of AG’s own Zac Efron’s Best “Male Performance” (fittingly named) award.

Kobe Bryant slams on Dwight Howard a couple years ago ... pre-HGH days. He's a little bit bigger today.

Anyway, since this is a sports blog: we’ll get to the NBA’s version of this: when Kobe dunked on Dwight Howards face a couple years back. Thought it would be a nice precursor to The Finals this week.

Would somebody please fast forward the week to Thursday. I can't stand life without hoops.

Here’s the video of Kobe’s dunk on Superman if the pictures aren’t enough to get you in the mood.

Wait a minute.

This whole thing also reminds me of Shaq rapping “Kobe, tell me how my ass taste.”

After the Finals, Kobe hopes to be rapping a similar tune to Shaq.

Thankfully the NBA Finals start Thursday, when Kobe goes for his first ring without Shaq, because I don’t know how much more of these crappy posts you or I can take.

Update on the Finals odds

According to the fine journalists I’m sure over at casinogamblingweb.com, The Lakers are favored at -290 to win the series.

The Magic have betting odds of +240.

Host Los Angeles is favored by six in Thursday’s opener, with the total for the game initially listed at 206, according to the site.

Not sure what all that means? Me either. In Layman’s Ralph Lawler terms, they’re 2-5 favorites to win, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which advises Nevada sports books on betting lines.

At those odds, a winning $100 bet on the Lakers would return a $40 profit (Beau C and RK).

More titles than Kidd and AI combined, more Finals MVPs than Kobe. Not too shabby Chauncey Billups.

While we’re on the topic of potential Hall of Famers: How about Chauncey Billups?
I brought this up last night to a couple WCBias representatives after Chauncey Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Billups put the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

Billups isn’t exactly a name that says “First-Ballot Hall of Famer.” (Wait, is there such a thing as first ballot in NBA? Never mind.)
Neither Ryantific nor SF Giants honk our boy Beau C would give Billups their vote just yet, but here are a few reasons why you have to consider the guy for the Hall:

Billups is now making his seventh consecutive conference finals appearance. SEVEN STRAIGHT! Not even Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant could claim that feat. In fact, since 1970, only Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have pulled off seven straight appearances: and it’s not like Billups has had the luxury of playing with that kind of talent over the years.

In fact, the Nuggets straight up sucked until Billups got there.

Billups vs. A.I. & Kidd
The Wombat said he’d be willing to give Billups some Hall consideration, or at least put in him the same sentence as Nugget Cancer Detroit guard Allen Iverson and Mavs grampa guard Jason Kidd, if he keeps producing for another few years.

Fact of the matter is, Billups has a ring, which neither Iverson nor Kidd has.

Billups has also been in the league for 11 years now. He’s three months older than RK (no offense doggy), and he’s averaging 22.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 7.3 apg.

Dude’s in his 11th season, and he’s playing better than ever – and averaging 40 minutes a game in the process.

A.I’s in his 12th season, and I love the guy, but we all saw what transpired this year. J.Kidd has been around a couple years longer, but he might just hang it up at this rate. And we all know those dudes can’t play defense, while Billups is regularly named to the all-defensive team.
So, yeah, a couple more years of this and Billups will be a no-brainer.

Billups vs. Kobe
Beat Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the next round, he might be a no-brainer by June.

“But B-Slim, Billups doesn’t even have an MVP trophy” you say.

Either did Kobe, until last year.

And Billups actually does have an MVP award: winning the NBA Finals MVP (something Kobe’s never won) when he averaged 21 points and 5.2 assists to lead the Pistons to a 4-1 series win over Kobe’s Lakers for the title.: And Billups is playing even better this season, back for his hometown club: which kind of reminds me of what he did in college at Colorado, leading the Buffs to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 28 years. Dude just seems to make the teammates around him better, especially come playoff time.
Sounds like Hall of Fame material to me.

Speaking of the Lakers
What the hell is wrong with your squad Ryantific? They lost again tonight in Houston. If the Lakers play the physical brand of basketball they played in their three wins in this series, I have no doubt they’ll face the Cavs in the Finals. But if not, they might not even get out of this series, and they’re going to have all sorts of trouble against the Thuggish Ruggish Nuggets – who you’ll recall I noted would be the team that could give the Lakers a run for their money out West. Them and the Rockets apparently.

Seven foot freaking seven! No wonder the Lakers lost.

What the hell?
Ryantific and I just got done watching tonight’s Lakers-Rockets game and are trying to figure out how Los Angeles lost to Houston – a team the Lakers spanked during the regular season. Here are some of the reasons we came up with:

• How many beers did we drink?
• Was it the Swine Flu?
• Was it the economy tanking?
• Was it the state of the newspaper business?
• Was Joey Crawford officiating?

I guess it was just good ol’ fashioned basketball played by the Rockets, a solid basketball team from center on down to the point guard position. They’re not a deeper team. They’re not a better team. But they are a bigger team, at least with their starting five.

There’s no doubt they present some matchup problems for the Lakers, who were all but forced to ditch their fun-n-gun brand of basketball for a slow, half-court game that obviously benefits the Rockets.
Watching just a quarter of Monday’s game it became obvious Yao Ming is too big for Pau Gasol, and if Bynum’s not playing up to speed, the Lakers are in trouble.

Lamar Odom is the X Factor, but he and Gasol played like they played in the NBA Finals last season and appear to be playing hide-and-seek again.
Kobe did his thing, but was only effective from the perimeter (not exactly a stellar 14 of 31) thanks to some hard-nosed defense from Shane Battier and Ron Artest – who also scored 21 points and had 7 ASSISTS and just might have outplayed Kobe in Game 1.
And it’s pretty clear who won the point guard battle tonight – tiny Aaron Brooks, all 6 foot, 160 pounds (that’s what they list him at anyways) of him, had 19 points against the defending Western Conference champs.

So there goes home court, and there goes an easy sweep into the next round for the Lakers. Looks like this will be a series after all. Well, hopefully it’ll be a series. But if Odom, Gasol, Bynum and Co. don’t start playing, maybe it won’t be one.

On a positive note, Phil Jackson ripped Craig Sager‘s hideous Butterfinger-colored suit tonight between quarters. B-R-U-T-A-L.

And Artest’s hair was hideous. I’m about to write another worst haircuts in the league story again.

But if Kobe had numbers like that his whole career would he ever be considered the player that he is today, one of the best. Would his name be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan? Doubtful. I guess we’re lucky that he was a ball hog for most of his career.

I’ve also been accused by some WCBias faithful of late that I have traded sides by saying that I think LeBron is a great team personality and arguably the most rounded player in the league. Across the board LeBron is a stat leader in almost all categories for his team. He is arguable the MVP for this year. I mean how else are the Cavs going to come away with the best record. And I know Beau C believes his favorite player Mo Williams is the reason why the Cavs are so good…  but I’m pretty sure that it is LeBron that has lead them to the best record.

Now that I have defended my stance, I want to go further to say that Kobe is the best finisher in the game. If I needed a player to make the last play or someone to rally a team around a scoring binge there is only one answer. KOBE BRYANT. Whatever the reason the man is all business and he has the swagger that a winner needs. 

Most rounded player or best finisher. Who do you take?