THE REAL NBA PLAYOFF TRUTHS

• Skip and Stephen A. asked where have I been? They missed my insight, because it usually fuels the debates for their show. I told them that I have been taking that loss to OKC really tough, but I am a professional and I owe to the people to give them what they want. So here are my NBA Playoff Truths.
• The Spurs are a model franchise and one of the most well run organizations in sports. Pop is a great coach in his own right and he has an uncanny ability to get the best out of all of his players. Duncan,Manu, and Parker are coachable superstars who leave their egos at home which allow Pop to run the team without fear of backlash. That being said this is only acceptable because it is in small market San Antonio where there is absolutely no pressure to win..In LA where it is championship or bust there is no way that 5 years of not winning a title would go by without heads rolling. Phil Jackson walked away after three straight finals appearances, because he cant tolerate losing. The Lakers are talking about trading everyone not named Kobe, because losing in the second round regardless of the reasons is not acceptable. It took San Antonio 5 years to build this team and get back to title contention. Are the Lakers afforded that same luxury? Hell no.So when you talk about small market vs big market just remember who gets the benefit of the doubt and who is under the constant pressure of what have you done for me lately. 
• You remember when you turned 17 and you were just as tall as you dad, you had your little billy goat facial hair going on and you thought you were God's gift to the world. Now that you have that visual go back to that monumental confrontation you had with your father where you knew he could no longer kick your ass without getting his kicked too. You were in your physical prime and you were confident enough to talk the same shit to him that you had already been talking to others for years. Nothing disrespectful, but you just no longer had fear or were intimidated by the actions of your father.  Fast forward to Game 1 Celtics vs Heat. Garnett fouled LeBron hard after some showboating by the latter and LeBron just laughed it off. Garnett and Rondo reiterated after the game that the Celtics have to put some boots to asses to get some respect around hear.Only problem is without Perkins the Celtics are your father just talking shit, and the Heat are you arrogant and smug enough to know when they are just physically and mentally better. For the Celtics in the famous words of Triple H GAME OVER!
• Kevin Durant's performance in the 4th quarters of the 1st two games have been reminiscent of LeBron in last years finals, except for one thing. I hear no criticism. Just because Durant hasn't announced taking his talents to South Beach and doesn't have a puppet, doesn't mean he should be given a pass for his poor play. The hypocritical behavior of my colleagues for not calling out Durant goes against the very principals of why I starting blogging in the first place. The quote unquote best closer since Johnnie Cochran has wanted no parts of the pressure and has allowed his team to be punked by Parker and the Spurs.Go ahead and continue to put the blame on Westbrook, because all he does is shoot while Durant stands to the side with his head up his ass.Am I supposed to believe That the Spurs have the answer for Durant in Stephen Jackson? Get the fuck out of here.. When it is all said and done though who do you think will be able to sleep better this summer knowing they put it all on the line?
• Food for thought: Kobe should move to the small forward position. This will help preserve his legs and make him even stronger to close out games in the 4th quarter. Ask KG how the move to center helped him physically.
• Mike Brown should consider reinstalling the triangle and concentrate his efforts on running the defense. The personnel that he currently has is built for the triangle, because only Kobe and Sessions can create their own shot. The triangle gives you spacing, continuity, and free flowing ball movement without one man dominating the ball. It also allows your bigs to become interchangeable parts without sticking someone out of position.
• I'm out like the NBA'S CREDIBILITY AFTER THE HORNETS GOT THE #1 PICK IN THE DRAFT. FIRST CHRIS PAUL NOW THIS. BULLSHIT!!!!!!!

TOP 10 CLUTCH SHOOTERS NOT NAMED KOBE OR MJ

CAN'T INCLUDE THE GOATS

1) LARRY WOULD TELL YOU THAT HE WAS GETTING THE BALL AND THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO ABOUT IT.

2) 8PTS IN 8.9 SEC ON MAY 7,1995 AGAINST THE KNICKS. HE STOLE THE INBOUND PASS DRIBBLED TO THE 3PT ARC TURNED AROUND AND STROKED A 3 ALL NET.

3) BIG SHOT ROB BELONGS IN THE HOF. 7 RINGS SAYS ENOUGH.

4)HE SHOT .454 FROM 3PT RANGE FOR HIS CAREER. WHEN MJ TOLD HIM I'M GOING TO PASS YOU THE BALL LATE IN GAME 6 OF THE 1997 FINALS KERR SAID I WILL BE READY.

5) RIGHT NOW WHO IS BETTER AT HITTING CLUTCH SHOTS FOR THEIR TEAM.

6)FISHER'S NBA CAREER HAS BEEN DEFINED BY HIS CLUTCH SHOOTING AND THE SPURS WERE WITNESS TO HIS MOST FAMOUS SHOT WITH .4 SEC LEFT.

7) NOT THE BEST PERIMETER SHOOTER, BUT SOMEHOW MAKES THEM WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE.

8) THE TRUTH IS JUST THAT WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE.

9) WHO ELSE DO YOU WANT SHOOTING A 3 WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE RIGHT NOW? SHUTTLSEWORTH HAS PHONE BOOTH PERFECT FORM.

10) AFTER KOBE MANU IS THE GUY I WANT TO MAKE A PLAY WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS BROKEN DOWN.

Igromo's NBA Truths and 2012 Yearly awards

After watching a couple of playoff games this past weekend I was reminded of what the game of basketball used to be and what it has evolved into today. Today's game consist of flopping, technicals for bullshit, players whining after every call, and offenses that revolve around pick and roll, three point shooting and hero ball. Coaches are at the mercy of their players and actually have little to know authoritative power at all. Everyone wants to play with their boys or take their talents to South Beach to try and form super alliances because of  the fear of failure. The game used to be about uptempo vs half court. Toughness vs finesse. East vs West. There were no layup rules and everyone understood that if you went into the paint you were going to pay a price. If you were a 7 footer your ass played in the paint and you were a center. Ball handling was done by your PG who was responsible for quarterbacking your team. Trash talking was not only encouraged but it brought out the best in players and enhanced rivalries. Friendships were put on hold until after the season, because guys wanted to win not make it rain together. The greats competed in the 3pt contest and slam dunk contest, because they wanted to have bragging rights and be regarded as the best in their profession. Now don't get me wrong  today's athlete's are some of the greatest to ever play the game and they are taking the game to new heights, but at what expense.Franchises are being held hostage by star players, coaches are being fired one year after winning coach of the year, everyone wants to play in a big market and superstars care more about their so called brands than winning and losing. When played properly and for the right reasons basketball is second to none in terms of skill, athleticism, showmanship and entertainment. I'm not asking for basketball to go back to the way it used to be, but in order for the sport to properly evolve it must first remember the principles and players that made it the global institution that it is today and hold onto that foundation and build upon it. To put in terms that you might understand. Jay Z does not need Diddy to remix Reasonable Doubts for him, because it is a classic, but there is nothing wrong with working with Kanye on a new project to expand his all around style.

• MVP: LeBron James 27.9 pts 7.9 reb 6.2 ast - He had better numbers in 2009, but he was more efficient this year. Take the star off of your favorite team and insert LeBron in his place and tell me if your team is better or not. Enough said.
• ROY: Kyrie Irving 18.4 pts 3.8 reb 4 ast
• COACH OF THE YEAR: Glenn "Doc Rivers Boston Celtics
• DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dwight Howard
• OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Love 26 pts 13.4 reb 4 off reb a game and they don't call plays for him
• 1ST TEAM ALL NBA: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant,Kevin Durant,LeBron James,Dwight Howard
• 2ND TEAM ALL NBA:Russell Westbrook,Dwayne Wade,Kevin Love,LaMarcus Aldridge,Andrew Bynum
• The Knicks will never win a ring with Carmello Anthony as its centerpiece. He is not as good as his Olympic counterparts and he does not make his teammates better.. In order for him to succeed he must have a team built around him similar to the one Allen Iverson had when he went to the finals with Philly.Melo is the ultimate ball stopper and unless he is dropping buckets he brings little in the way of play making for others and defensive prowess. The Knicks were better off with the team they had prior to Melo coming with Amare as their focal point and athletic wing man in the form of Gallinari and Chandler. The Knicks have talent. Carmelo is just not the guy to get the best out of them.
• For a man that is about to win his 3rd MVP can someone tell me why there are no so called LeBron stoppers or defensive strategies designed to limit his effectiveness. Jordan had people such as John Starks, Gerald Wilkins, Joe Dumars and Byron Russell who thought they could stop him. Hell Chuck Daly invented a defensive system just to try and slow his ass down called the Jordan Rules.Kobe has had Ruben Patterson,Shane Battier,Bruce Bowen, and Raja Bell as guys whose sole purpose in life was to slow The Mamba down yet LeBron has no one to speak of. One of those things that make you say hhhhhmmmmmmmmmm
• Why do teams that are successful running their offense for the first 45 minutes of games switch to isolation's and pick and rolls in the last 3 minutes of games? Defending 5 players to me is a lot more difficult than defending 1 0r 2. You do the math.
• The NBA is slowly but surely turning into the NFL as far as the post season is concerned. The Heat played poorly down the stretch and the Lakers played up and down all year, yet analysists like their chances in the playoffs. Why play 82 games if all it amounts to is one more game being played in your building. The Spurs threw games all year and they have the best record in the league, yet they are not the favorites to win it all. Confused yet. Well you should be, because I damn sure am.
• I'M OUT LIKE AMARE AND THE KNICKS.