“I can feel it calling in the air tonight…Oh Lord” 
That one line summarizes pretty much how every Toronto Raptors fan felt watching Rudy Gay make his debut with the team last night against the LA Clippers.
The talks about the most recent Raptors trade leading up to last nights game had people excited but wondering, if this is actually going to work? Is Rudy Gay really the missing piece to the puzzle? Is he the cherry they need on top of the ice cream? 
Some have said, the Jose Calderon and Ed Davis trade for Rudy Gay and …some random…was too expensive of a deal. On the flip side, most fans were more than excited for the team’s long overdue change.
The sold out ACC shook a little last night with the roar of the hype crowd as Rudy Gay came off the bench and step foot on the Raptors court for the first time. After Gay missed his first shot…the crowd piped down a little. Nonetheless, Gay definitely made up for it with his 20 point game. He brought that fire last night and lit up the crowd like a bunch of kids on Christmas.
Amir Johnson matched his career high of 16 rebounds for the Raptors. Both Amir Johnson and DeMar DeRozen got 19 points apiece. 
DeMar may have lost his “best teammate” and “best friend,” but he was soon to forget his emotions from that week in the euphoria of last nights game.
The Raptors were looking tight against the Clippers. The Clippers were in desperate need of some Awake Chocolate. The whole team’s lack of energy was the main culprit along with, ineffective defense and atrocious shooting of a miserable 35 per cent. Although Gay helped the Raps immensely en route to their blowout victory, it was an ugly night for the Clipps, losing 98 – 73.
On a lighter note, it looks like Rudy Gay is going to fit right into Casey’s system of a fast paced isolation kinda game. Gay is a pretty decent interior player but he likes to jump shot and stretch 3′s. The rest of the Raptors…AKA DeMar DeRozen & Amir Johnson have proven themselves as reliable go to scorers, some fans were concerned if they would be able to play with their new teammate. Well… Ladies and Gentleman, last night, Gay proved that will not be a concern. Toronto shot a collective 47 percent. In a Gay kinda way, there was good chemistry on the court. Let’s just hope this hype doesn’t fade away.

Follow me on Twitter @MissyTzotz

New York Knicks All Star forward Carmelo Anthony has been suspended for one game by the National Basketball Association for his “up in your face” approach on opposing player, Kevin Garnett, multiple times throughout Monday night’s 102-96 home loss against the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Garnett really had Carmelo Anthony’s KNICKer’s in a knot! Anthony was unleashing his “inner ninja” on the court. Garnett apparently crossed the “guy’s code” line with his comments toward Anthony during the game. Garnett crossed the unwritten guy’s code of ethics, when he served up Anthony’s wife as a breakfast side dish of Honey Nut Cheerios, implying that he got a taste of those nuts and honey! To be honest, I am actually still wondering if Anthony got upset because Garnett didn’t say Fruit Loops? We all know that Fruit Loops taste better then those damn Honey Nut Cheerios! Regardless, Anthony & Garnett went at it like 2 hound dogs barking at each other,especially in the 4TH quarter which led to technical fouls for both players. I guess Carmelo Anthony’s suspension was warranted on the fact that there were several attempts to further engage with Garnett.

Melo was everything but mellow Monday night. He wanted to throw it down old school. Whether it was outside the locker room or even just outside the Celtics team bus, Anthony was ready to rumble. I guess you can take the guy out of the hood… but, you can never take the hood out of the guy!

Carmelo Anthony is 2ND in the league in scoring behind Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers, with a 29.0 average. So, it was pretty obvious that Anthony was affected by Garnett’s words, shooting just 6 of 26 from the field that game.

Unfortuntely, Anthony’s public display of in-affection definitely didn’t work in his favour. He will serve his suspension tonight when the New York Knicks face the Indiana Pacers. He is eligible to return to the court on Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.

Oh ya, on a side note “LaLa” is going to be replacing the “BEE” on the next Honey Nut Cheerios campaign!

…”BEE” sure to Follow me on Twitter @MissyTzotz

It has most definitely been an exciting couple of weeks in the NBA.

We all know the Laker’s have their issues but enough is enough, let’s sit back a second and see what will become of the Laker’s under Mike D’Antoni. Let’s invest our time talking about the teams that have brought it on so far and have put themselves in the “contender” talks.

In the last couple of days everyone’s been talking about the Clipper’s being a title threat. Hello…? Does a bear crap in the woods? I mean, anything is possible but right now The Clippers are a LEGIT contender, no questions about it.  Did they pump the Miami Heat last night? YES! Has either Chris Paul or Jamal Crawford rocked your socks off so far this season? YES! Do you see fresh young legs dominating the court when the Clippers play? YES! Pumping, Rocking, Young Legs… if that doesn’t get you excited… maybe the fact that there are six players on the team averaging double figures does the trick for you! The Clippers are shooting nearly 50 percent while holding opponents to 43 percent which makes them more then a considerable contender.

They have the essential combo of superstar talent with Blake Griffin being the Big Mac and Chris Paul being the fries! Its perfect, in an “Im lovin’ it” kinda way! Might I add, they also have quality depth, with Jamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe and Matt Barnes. Let’s not forget the seasoned leadership from Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler. This alone screams out “championship-caliber” team!

Right now, the Clippers are solid in both offensive and defensive ability, which was made clear in the big third quarter showdown last night at the Staples Centre. It’s hard to make a big team like the Miami Heat look ugly, but that was ugly.

It is pretty obvious that they are the better team in L.A right now. The Clippers are continuously proving themselves and it doesn’t look like they aren’t going to QUIT anytime soon. So, step aside Lakers because the Clippers are lovin’ being on top of LA LA LAND!

I am most positive that last year at this time, no one even knew the Indiana Pacers exist. If you ask anybody if they thought the Pacers would be holding down 3^rd seed right now…90% would say, “Hell NO.!”

All I can say is that I sure hope the Indiana Pacers picked up a newspaper this morning to soak in the fact that they are indeed 3^RD in Eastern Conference standings. Although the Pacers have a pretty tough schedule creeping up which includes games against, New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Portand, the Los Angeles Clippers and New York two times…there is NO STOPPING them now! I think they are feeling the rhythm behind hearing “3^RD.” Bottom line is…they have been on fire!!!

The hot potato game for the race to No. 3 doesn’t look like it will end anytime soon. The Pacers have now won 5 straight to wheedle out the spot in the standings behind the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. Hold on… now PACE yourselves because between you and me, we both know that Miami and Chicago are running far away from the East. The Pacers still trail the Heat by five games and the Bulls by five and a half. Both the Heat and the Bulls are on pace to win 50 games, which means the Pacers would have to go 28-4 to reach 50 wins………so, the rhythm may feel good and all but let’s get serious, its staying at 3, if anything. The team should be focusing on what it will take to protect the 3^RD seed from the pack of wolves that are chasing the spot right behind. This being said, the most important image should be “THE OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR THAT ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR” aka the 3 teams that are trying to grind up and feel the Pacer’s booty….just like that creepy guy in the club that keeps trying to hump you from behind and makes you want to scream…“GET OFF ME!”

Anyways, the importance of that third spot for all of these contenders could mean the difference between a first round exit in the playoffs and the possibility of challenging the Heat or the Bulls for a chance to play in the Eastern Conference finals. In addition, the home court advantage it delivers for its owner, at least in the first round, the No. 3 seed in the East has advanced to at least the conference semifinals in each of the past four seasons. The last time the No. 3 seed didn’t make it out of the first round was in 2007, when the Toronto Raptors won the Atlantic Division crown but lost to the New Jersey Nets in the first round. Since then, the Magic (2008 and 2009),  Hawks (2010) and Celtics (2011) have all made it through to the second round, and let’s not forget the Magic making it all the way to The Finals in 2009, falling to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

We could still see a shake up amongst the challengers with the March 15 trade deadline around the corner. Hypothetically speaking, if Dwight Howard is traded and the Magic are left to clean up the mess … that is one team who could get dropped off the chopping block. Also, let’s not forget the Hawks and Knicks who are just 5 games back…which means if either one of them gets on another hot streak, this whole 3rd place race could get twisted, yet again.

Either way…the Pacers need to keep their momentum flowing and they should be able to hold down the fort…However, you know what they say…anything is possible!

What happened to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of…? The Knicks are hitting the concrete that’s for sure… and they are hitting it hard. Down one all star, no reliable playmaker, a battered up and disheveled lineup and the losses continue to mound up. The Knicks have been hurting and hunting for that something to pull it together…but that something is… lost. Maybe it got lost in Cleveland (L 81-91), or Miami (L 89-99) or wait…Houston (L 84-97)…not really sure where…but I am sure it’s out there.

After their loss against Houston, Tyson Chandler talked about how he refuses to go through a losing season like that and how the team has got to “MAN UP.” Where do they start? Carmelo Anthony sat out his second straight game to rest his ankle, wrist and thumb…ohhh poor Melo’s fingers hurt from playing basketball…go figure? Then you have D’Antoni making the most ridiculos unconventional choices for the team throughout games. As D’ Antoni is praying for a little spark of “anything”…Let me tell you…Jesus himself can’t even help with some of the choices he made throughout the last game in Houston.

The Knicks have lost 9 of their last 10 games, three without Anthony, increasing the pressure on D’Antoni. They are just playing awful. The lack of depth and the team’s dependence on certain key players are major factors contributing to this slippery downhill slope that has taken over the New York Knicks overall team dynamic. It seems like Chandler and Stoudemire have been left in the dark to assess the bad state of their team. Let’s get serious…The Knicks better come knocking home court doors hard tonight against Detroit…or it’s going to be an even uglier end to an already very ugly road trip.

We all see the wheels turning but it seems like on the last road trip, the wheels were slowly falling off. Although Baron Davis will probably not make his Knicks debut for another week or two, they hope to have Anthony back in the lineup tonight. So…my advice to the Knicks for tonight…tighten those wheels and put the boom, boom back into the zoom, zoom!

Never mind the blazing hot Chicago Bulls…Put aside the radiant Oklahoma City Thunder right now…and what?…Dallas Mavericks were the NBA champions…? Before last night’s game those topics were the talk of the town. Now…it’s all about what was made out to be, one of the most important matchups in the NBA, YES…you guessed it…the Miami Heat VS. Los Angeles Lakers. The other topics in the NBA leading up to last night’s game are all just a tease. It’s like going to a strip club…its only temporary satisfaction with no BANG! Last night….we got BANG alright. My question to you is, was the LeBron VS. Kobe matchup worth the wait…?

It sure got me going to say the least! Last night’s game was a beautiful display of the best two players on the planet squared up against each other. It was made clear that the austere differences between the two makes determining who is the best, that much more difficult. It is no longer a question of basketball or analyzing last night’s game, but rather it borders along the realms of philosophy.

Last night, Kobe (24 points) made it clear in his performance, that he is aching to show HE and not LeBron James, was the most dominant player in the game. He wanted to make it known that he can very well lead the Lakers to another championship, without being somewhat overshadowed by Phil Jackson and the triangle offense.

Meanwhile, LeBron (31 points) was determined to prove that he is indeed capable of excelling in clutch situations on the court in big time games… “aside from the standard CHOKE under pressure…”…sorry did I do that out loud? Anyways, if it comes to pass and shoot and defend, the Miami Heat can possibly stake the claim they have been trying to make, as the overwhelming favourites to win a championship.

It is still early to make these assumptions in my opinion. More importantly, did anyone pay attention to the ever so delicious hand to hand confrontations between Kobe and LeBron. I’m pretty sure it was more delectable than your favourite dish. Next time, just order some well done Kobe with a lot of LeBron on the side!

Bryant, like many other blood-thirsty athletes, will create more competition; if that is that it takes to stay motivated. He loves any chance he gets to silence a boisterous road crowd, like last night. Note to those Kobe sceptics… there is no way you are going to push him out of the game that he is most passionate about so easily. Kobe is trying to keep a tight grip on his crown but LeBron is lurking in the shadows, ready to fulfill his destiny as the “chosen one.”

Last night’s game was just the tip off, for the arguments between Kobe and LeBron that will continue to arise.

I can tell you that the only thing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh tasted were their salty tears on their face and the locker room floor as they dropped to their knees after last night’s game in Miami. The unbranded range animals also known as the Mavericks bled black and blue all over the basketball court. The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a huge win in Game 6 of the NBA finals last night to be crowned this year NBA Champions. Yeah…ok, their crowns looked more like fitted’s – but the taste of Victory against the Miami Heat was scrumptiously delicious. Well… you can’t muzzle a Maverick and they were out full force. Last I heard, Dirk Nowitzki will be teaching a course called “How to Beat the Heat 101” because last night, he schooled Miami.

The Mavericks’ win over the Heat is proof that chemistry and cohesion goes a lot further then just individual talent coming together. It is amazing to see the purity of Dallas’ team capture the win and a great denial of Miami’s high profile engineering project. The Mavericks played a certain way, playing collectively, trusting the pass and most of all believing in each other.

Sure, LeBron James took his talents to South Beach but the Mavericks took an entire team which proved to be the difference in this NBA finals series. The Heat may have had the stars lined up but the champions, Dallas Mavericks had the team. Its ok, I think dancing with the stars is recruiting cast for next season, between James, Wade or Bosh – the show now has 3 more options.

In all truthfulness, if the players had been standing around waiting to choose sides and break into teams, the first 2 players taken would have definitely been James and Wade. Nowitzki would have been third followed by Bosh. The Heat had the edge in star power. However, it turned out the Mavericks had a more significant edge.

Nowitzki won the Most Valuable Player trophy for the series. Jason Terry came up huge Sunday night. But there are more names that must be mentioned in this most significant win in franchise history. Chandler’s defensive presence. Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion’s all-around contribution. Also shout out to  J.J. Barea coming up with 15 points and 5 assists and consistently breaking down Miami’s defense. DeShawn Stevenson bombarded the Heat with a 3-point round. Brian Cardinal and Ian Mahinmi also provided meaningful moments throughout the series. Carlisle said it best, “It’s not about what your potential shortcomings are. It’s what we could accomplish as a group together.”

So, the LeBron James and Chris Bosh hate clubs will continue to run and in the meantime the rest of us can all anticipate another amazing season of basketball this coming fall. Until then, tomorrow is National LeBron James day— So everyone, you can officially leave work 12 minutes early tomorrow.

They say time flies when you’re having fun. Perennial contenders have aged over night and have dropped like flies this NBA post season. First, the San Antonio Spurs, then on Mothers Day the Los Angeles Lakers and last week it was the Boston Celtics. It seems like the oldies are worked, last I heard Kobe and Shaq are going cane shopping together! When you no longer age like fine wine – you fall off that championship cliff pretty fast.

It’s not just that this new NBA world has invited new destinations to the party; it’s that the foundation of the league has been dismissed in an explosive and at times embarrassing manner. Do I hear someone saying out with the old and in with the new? Yeah… I said it…! Previous generations of fans would have never thought the day would come when a university town like Oklahoma City would be providing us with the most compelling basketball and competing in the Western Conference finals. In all fairness, up until a month ago, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies were still considered “outsiders.” Not anymore…!

The thunder has struck and in addition to that, Dallas is no longer too soft, the Heat is no longer too selfish and the Bulls are ready to charge. Parity in the NBA is alive and well folks, so let’s enjoy this ride of unpredictable and intense playoffs while it lasts. This year the NBA will crown a new heir apparent to the NBA throne.

Last night, Miami had Chicago pushing hard for what almost turned out to be a commanding 2-0 lead. In the last 4 and half minutes, the Score was LeBron – 9 and Le Bulls – 2. His performance wasn’t exactly “Dirk-Like” per say, but it got the job done in a very “King-like” manner. Last night’s game should have been deemed “LeBron’s personal retribution.” Just when everyone thought they had the Heat figured out – they stepped it up. Before Game 1, LeBron James had mentioned that the Eastern Conference final series won’t be for everyone. “If you’re a casual basketball fan, he said — if you like scoring — you might want to stay focused on the finals out West with Nowitzki and Durant” After the Heat pulled off their 85-75 win over the Bulls last night, it looks like LBJ might’ve been just right. Three full days after Chicago gave Miami a Heat stroke, Miami cut the Bulls*** by matching the defensive intensity and haste that Chicago brought in game 1; of what is going to be an incredible series.

There is a saying that is true pertaining to the whirlwind of NBA playoff events: “There is a reason why you play the games.” Now for tonight we ask, will the Thunder strike back and tie the series?… Let’s see what the tickle trunk has in store for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final tonight.

After the painful return of the too heavy, too hurt and too 39 year old Shaq in Game 3, Doc Rivers showed some mercy with his decision to sit Shaq for good, which seemed like a smart decision at the time. But after yesterday’s Game 4; it might not be only a ‘Shaq’ thing. The rest of the Celtics tried to run and tried to jump, but it just wasn’t happening. While 300- plus pound Shaq was dreaming about cheeseburgers and french fries with gravy on the bench, the rest of the Celtics seemed to be out to lunch as well.

Championships, tons of fans and full throttle Shaq Attack entertainment on and off the court, the Shaq diesel is finally running on empty. This being said, you would think it would push the original ‘Big Three’ in Boston to fuel up for Game 4. Paul Pierce scored 27, Ray Allen had 17 and Kevin Garnett had 7 points and 10 rebounds. Also, Rajon Rondo who dislocated his left elbow Saturday night in Game 3, played 39 minutes with a padded sleeve covering what appeared to be a brace on his left arm, and still scored 10 with 5 assists; but they just weren’t cutting it.

After a disastrous Game 3 and what was considered to be Miami’s worst performance as a threesome, last night James, Wade and Bosh had one of their best games. There must have been some real good threesome lovin’ the night before or something. I mean, boys – you gotta go what you gotta do and last night they were doing it…BIG. Miami’s BIG three combined for 83 points as the Heat beat Boston 98-90 in overtime last night to move within one game of the Eastern Conference finals. James scored 35, Wade had 28 and the threesome also combined for 35 of Miami’s 45 rebounds. They scored all 12 of Miami’s points in overtime; Bosh and Wade had five a piece after James’ fallaway jumper on the Heat’s first possession of the extra period, which gave them the lead…for good.

LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are on the verge of doing something together that neither of them could accomplish on their own. Boston has been there, done that…but to do it again they really need to step it up. The Celtics would need to win three in a row—two of them in Miami—to have a chance to defend their Eastern Conference championship. Ray Allen said it best, “Everybody on this team, we know what to do. We can’t talk about it; we just have to put our best foot forward. It’s not easy. It just makes it that much more special if we’re able to do it.”  Last time I checked 30 is the new 20 – so let’s give Boston the benefit of the doubt in this series.

Was it a smooth game? Yes. Was it slightly aloof? Yes. Was it overdramatic? Yes. Most of all, was it incredible…to watch? YES!  Last night’s game was as tight as the bathroom on an airplane…and yes…the Dallas Mavericks actually went into Los Angeles and won a game that almost seemed as though it was slip-sliding away from them for most of the second quarter. Needless to say, Disco Dirk put himself to work hitting two free throws with 19.5 seconds left, alongside the Kidd getting it done with the additional point with only 3.5 seconds. You know the Mavs strutted out of the Staples Centre with big smiles after the long hard fought 96 – 94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-final.

Regardless of the unfortunate mistakes, the Mavs were able to steal the game on a night when Kobe Bryant was shooting straight fire and still rounded up 36 points. Kobe’s game is never sloppy, but the points he notched up didn’t do the trick last night. A true player like Kobe, I’m sure, will just look in the mirror and say “on to the next one…” and “next one” meaning Game 2…of course!

A proper player always reflects on their game to ensure they keep themselves in check at all times, so… I definitely need to touch on the key turn on points of last night’s game. The Mavs had five players in double-figure scoring…and you know what double-figures means…! Nowitzki led the team with 28 points. Jason Terry scored 15, Tyson Chandler had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Shawn Marion and Peja Stojakvoic each rounded up 10 points.

Although the Mavs couldn’t seem to find the basket in the last 6 minutes of the second quarter, they still continued to try and seal the deal. However, the Lakers were fired up and ended the half on a 14-2 run to take a 53-44 lead at intermission. The ensuing free throw by Bryant gave the Lakers a 53-44 lead at the half, as the Mavs were outscored 30-16 on points in the paint. To seal the deal, players need to be aggressive! Chandler explicitly said that his team needs to be the aggressor to win the series against the Lakers.  Despite that, the end to the disastrous first half for the Mavs spilled over into the start of the second half when the Mavs turned the ball over on their first three possessions, leading to seven quick points for the Lakers and a 60-44 advantage. But Kidd came out ready to rock and killed it with his five turnovers rounding out the third quarter. Every team presents a challenge, but if the Mavs continue to keep their game tight, they have a chance. At the end of the day, everyone wants a little challenge but I don’t think the Lakers are willing to “give it up” that easy, so it’s definitely going to be a tussle between the two teams in this series.