Coaching isn't everything...it is the thing!

We knew the Lakers would close the 12-point deficit. It was just a matter of when. Pau, Kobe, and a clutch Derek Fisher (the real closer tonight) showed up tonight. So who forgot he was in the NBA Finals? Stan Van Gundy. Yep, watching Jameer Nelson play I could only hear Bobby Brown crooning in my head, "tell me, tell me why?" Only I was shouting at the television. WHY! WHY! 11:00 minutes. Jameer Nelson bow-legs brings the ball up the court. Somewhere around 6:40(it's already 11:45p.m. around here, my memory is blurry)--Jameer Nelson makes an assist to Cry Baby (a.k.a Dwight Howard), prompting Mark Jackson to say, "criticize Stan for keeping Nelson in if you want to, but Nelson is making solid decisions, passing the ball and making assists."

Hmm, true, but this is exactly the problem. Nelson was solid. Nelson passed. Nelson did not turn the ball over. You don't want solid in the playoffs; if you're the Magic you need to score at least 100 points to have a chance of contending with the Lakers. A barely healthy Nelson ain't giving you squat.

When asked about his choice to play Nelson over Alston, Van Gundy said confidently,"Rafer sat on the bench for 10-12 minutes, I thought it was better to play Jameer."

What?

Jameer Nelson has been sitting for four months! Talk about cold. I'm all for adjusting in the Finals but benching Rafer Alston to play your guard who hasn't played with his teammates for months? The rest of the team doesn't even know who he is! (Jameer...tall, dark-skin dude? Yeah, I know him. That's the ball boy, right)?

Another kernel of wisdom from Stan, "too much is put on this Finals experience. Our guys are basketball players--I don't buy the whole veteran experience--this is basketball."

Uh-huh. Wrong. Um, Stan wake up. This is the Finals and the Zen-Man is outcoaching you on every step you take. Watching a team in rhythm is a beautiful thing. Like watching Phelps swim beneath the water--rhythmical. Phelps merged with the water. A team in rhythm is like a school of fish; they become one. The Orlando Magic as my mama likes to say, "can't tell whether they coming or going." Translation: The Orlando Magic are a talented team with no direction and are like sheep being led astray.

Magic Johnson says all the Lakers have to do is "stick to the game plan" and Lakers win (Kobe can say, "see, I told you I could do it. Shaq ain't nothing without me!" Instead he'll just say, "it was a good series. The Orlando Magic are a passionate team...blah, blah,blah).

If only the Orlando Magic could stick to the game plan. Who knows? Maybe Stan is right, rhythm and experience in the NBA Finals doesn't matter. Maybe Lakers win anyway. I'm sure Stan will have plenty of time to mull this over--with a nice cold beer on the beach after Sunday. Maybe the Orlando fans will be a bit more forgiving--basketball, it's just a game!

My Letter to "Mike and Mike in the Morning.."

Okay, so after watching "Mike and Mike's" morning show and hearing what they had to say about "bloggers", I decided to post this. Vive la bloggers!!!

Hey Doublemint Twins,

Flipping the channels between ESPN and ESPN 2 while wolfing down a bowl of grits and toast, I heard Golie jokingly describe “bloggers” as “living in their basement with Mom.” Nearly choking on a spoonful of warm grits, I had an epiphany. What if everyone felt the way Golie did? Needless to say, I went about my day as usual but even the blazing South Florida sun could not shake this thought. I am currently working on my master's thesis in English, teach English courses as an adjunct instructor at a university, will graduate with an MA and a minor in history, and hope to be admitted to the University of Miami in the fall of 2010.

When my head isn’t buried in a book, I blog. After writing for the campus baseball newsletter, I wanted to try something different. Who cares if the the athletic gene went to everyone else in my family? I love sports and asking Kobe fans if “The Great Pretender” moniker fits him better. For Howard, I was thinking a nickname change to Cry Baby. (All in favor, say waaaaaah! Disagree now, but all I need is a catchy dance to make the nickname solid, like “Lemme see you do the Cry Baby, do the cry baby...…”). I already bet my brother that T.O. will make it through his one-year contract with the Bills sans cursing fellow teammates out on the sidelines. (Loser has to do 150 sit-ups outside of my apartment)!

I visit ESPN.com daily to read articles by Bill Simmons and others because it inspires me—not because I think I know more about the game than these writers. No, I’m inspired because after I have exhausted myself talking about sports, there is nothing better than to sit down and relive those unforgettable sports moments. As athletes give the outside world less and less access into their private lives, whether s/he lives in the basement with mom or is graduate student studying Bhabba’s notions of mimicry (secretly wishing she could become a full-time sports broadcast reporter), “bloggers” just want to connect. “Bloggers” are seeking connection to the sports world that is becoming more corporatized than ever before and about as personal as an annual Christmas card from your boss. Besides, if Jon Barry can guard a computerized Lebron, Carmelo, and Kobe, why can’t I write about sports?

Hmm, I'm still waiting for a response.