Celtics Back to the NBA Finals

Looking too old, tired and easy to beat up, the Boston Celtics proved once again that they up for a challenge, beating the Orlando Magic 96-84 to win the series in six games. The C's are back into the finals,their 2 finals appearance in the last three years.

Paul Pierce was instrumental leading the Celtics with 31 points and 13 rebounds while Allen and Rondo added 20 and 14 points respectively with Nate Robinson had his best game in the playoffs scoring 13 points,12 in the 2nd quarter after Rondo hurt his back. The contribution of Robinson is big for the Celtics as they need an extra points from the bench.

Dwight Howard was impressive for the Magic cause, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. His dominance was not enough for the Magic. They fell short again after that runner-up finished last year.

With this win, the Celtics will have to face either the winner of the Lakers-Suns series with the Lakers holding a 3-2 series lead.

Artest To The Rescue

Trading Trevor Ariza to the Houston Rockets for Ron Artest made a positive note for the defending champs. Artest rebounded a missed jump shot by Kobe Bryant and banked on a wild shot at the buzzer. The shot went in, much to the delight of the Lakers and their fans. It was only the second basket of Ron Artest in the entire game and the last shot is the most important of them all giving the win for the Lakers 103-101. Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. The game was very much heading into overtime after the Suns rallied from an 18 point deficit to tie it from a Jason Richardson's bank a 3 pointer after two consecutive tries from the three points line. But that all set up for the heroics of Ron Artest. Steve Nash lead the Suns with 29 points and 11 assists, his best game of the series. Phoenix will come back home in Game 6 and will have another shot to extend the series if they win in their homecourt. The Lakers will try to finish the Suns in that game.

Magic Lived for Another Day

With the season on the line was no stopping the Orlando Magic to put on a show in game 5 of their series against the Boston Celtics toppling the latter 113-92 and cut the series deficit down 3-2. Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard has been instrumental in both wins, finished with 24 and 21 points respectively. Howard added 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Rashard Lewis and JJ Reddick added 14 points apiece for Orlando hitting 13 3-pointers in the game.

Howard was so dominant once again after Kendrick Perkins was ejected late in the 2nd quarter and Glen Davis suffered a concussion after an elbow hit on the head by Howard. Rasheed Wallace relegated to play defense against Howard scrord 21 points off the bench but fouled in the fourth quarter, but tweaked his back in the process. The Magic has won 2 in a row after winning that game 4.

Game 6 will head back to Boston hoping they could end the series or the Magic will win game 6 and force a decider in their own homecourt.

Suns Tied Series With the Lakers

Kobe Bryant was as impressive again for the Lakers but the trio of Channing Frye, Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley leveled the output of Kobe. This three players coming from the bench were superb in that fourth quarter run, hitting 3 pointers of their own after they stretch the lead from 89-87 to 98-89. That was the run that made the difference of the game highlighted by those bench players. Amare Stoudemire was held down to 21 points after a 42-points output in game 3, still leads the Suns. While Barbosa and Frye socred 14 points as the latter found his touch in this game and Dudley contributed 11 points. Kobe Bryant leads the Lakers with 38 point and dished out 10 assists.

The Series will now shift back to Staples Center in Los Angeles, California where the Lakers looking for the critical win in game 5 while the Suns will have the opportunity of stealing the homecourt advantage of the Lakers.

My Prediction: Suns will win in Game 5 and will closed out the series in game 6 at their homecourt.

Magic Keeping the Hopes Alive

The Orlando Magic lives for another day and forced a game 5 in the series, winning 96-92 in overtime over the veteran-laiden Boston Celtics. Dwight Howard's great performance and clutch baskets down the stretch, helps the Magic to avenge its game 3 loss. Howard finished with 32 points and 16 rebounds while Jameer Nelson had 23 points and 9 assists. Nelson contributed back-to-back crucial 3-pointers in overtime.

While the Magic having a great game, the Boston Celtics were challenged with this one. They came short for a series sweep. Rajon Rondo was held down to 9 points and 8 assists that caused to that Celtics loss. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with 32 points, needing 25 shots to get that points. Ray Allen added 22 points, including a barrage of 3's in the regulation and overtime that keep the C's into the game. Game 5 will be going back to Orlando, a do-or-die game for the Magic, as the Celtics still holds the series 3-1.

Fearless Forecast: Orlando Magic will win game 5 but the Celtics will go back home and win game 6 to finish the series.

Mike Brown Fired as Cavaliers Coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired Mike Brown as head coach. He has one year remaining on the contract for the Cavs but the Cavaliers opted to fire him.

The Cavaliers were the number 1 team in the season but were ousted by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, fall short once again for that championship ring that the team desired. Last year, the Cavaliers was also the number one team winning 66 wins in the season but loss to the Orlando Magic in the conference finals. This time, they fell short again, much of the blame going to Mike Brown.

Mike Brown is best to be remembered as the coach that has the highest percentage of winning in the history of the Cavaliers franchise having an overall winning percentage of .663 winning 272 games while losing only 138 games.

Stoudemire Carries Suns Over Lakers

Amare Stoudemire defies his critics by almost singlehandedly carried the Suns for an all-important win over the lakers, 118-109. Stoudemire had a game-high 42 points plus 11 rebounds. He was supported by another big man Robin Lopez who had 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting. This was the best game by Stoudemire in the playoffs, after having not-as-spectacular in the first 2 games of the series. Kobe Bryant led the defending champs with 36 points and 11 assists and Pau Gasol added 23 points. Lamar Odom was not much of a factor this time, having a miserable game scoring only 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting. The Suns has cut the series deficit 1-2 with them going for an equalizer in Game 4 at home.

Sweet Revenge for Michael Domingo

For the past months, Michael Domingo is so vocal about of getting back what was lost on his friend Z Gorres last year. Promising a sweet revenge in the offing was Domingo's mission of giving Luis Melendez a good fight and a knocking him out as what the latter did on Z Gorres last year that put Z Gorres out of the boxing world. It was a life threatening injury that Gorres suffered. And now, the fight is on, Domingo has the golden chance of putting this Colombian to rest.

In the first round, Domingo was simply the aggressive fighter between the two. He was chasing Melendez all over the ring and winds up with a lot of combinations in the body and in the head. In the second round, Domingo was again the aggressor and making perfect combination with accurate punching. Melendez vows to be staggered. But a left hook connected by Domingo on Melendez body, puts the Colombian into the canvass prompting the referee to count him out. It was a sweet victory for Michael Domingo that after the win, he turned into Z Gorres at ringside simply saying that "This one is for you" and Z Gorres replying up with his thumbs up on Domingo for a mission completed.

Williams Powers Talk N Text against Former Team

Former Sta Lucia Realtor marquee player Kelly Williams was impressive but in his new uniform with the Talk N Text Tropang Texters winning 92-78 over the Sta Lucia Realty. Williams came away with a double-double performance 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first game against his former team with 7-of-11 field goal shooting and 5-of 6 at the stripe.

In the first game, the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados won over the Coca Cola Tigers, 104-91 with James Yap scoring 14 points highlighted on 3-for-3 shooting in the third quarter. Roger Yap had 16 points , all in the second half and Peter June Simon added 15 points, 10 in the fourth quarter. The Coca Cola Tigers were led by Rashad Bell's 28 points and 26 points by Gary David, but was not enough to hold the Lllamados at bay.

Rafael Marquez KO's Israel Vasquez

Coming from a 1-2 deficit of their fierce battles in the past, Rafael Marquez won't back down with this one coming out with a vengeance and scored a knockout in the third round over Israel Vasquez. Right from the very start, Marquez was superb and good at all ends, dominating at the inside and outside and hitting Vasquez with accurate timing and combinations. With the win, Marquez tied their overall matchup with 2 apiece. This could be the last and final fight between this two Mexican warriors.

Game 3 an Easy Win For the Boston Celtics

It was when the Celtics build a 17 point lead and JJ Reddick threw an errand pass to Michael Pietrus that was deflected in the backcourt. Chasing down to the ball is Jason Williams of the Magic unaware of Rajon Rondo's pursuit of the ball. Williams pick the ball but Rondo dove for the ball and making a spectacular play on getting the ball on Williams' hands, dribbled it and went on for the layup. This hustle play summarizes the game that the C's wanted more than the Magic. Hustling, putting defensive plays, Perkins' impeccable defense on Howard, harassing the outside shooters and the will to win was the game that the Celtics played. They were superb and impressive with the way they controlled the game. The Magic was nowhere to be found and made a disappearing act in this game with Howard scoring just 7 points, as the Celtics cruised to a win on game 3, 94-71 and are four quarters away of entering into the NBA finals again.

Lakers Down Suns in Game 2

It was not a mystery for the Suns that they will have a hard time competing the defending champs. The effort they give is one step backward than what the Lakers showed. Kobe Bryant and company used their height and depth to subdue the Phoenix Suns, 124-112. Pau Gasol, using his height advantage over the Phoenix Suns big men had a game high 29 points while Lamar Odom and Ron Artest had 18 and 17 points respectively. The bench also contributed for the Lakers with Jordan Farmar scoring 11 points and was instrumental in the fourth quarter with a three pointer at the start of the fourth and a steal that change the momentum of the game in favor of the Lakers. Kobe Bryant provided the key role with 21 points and dishing out 13 assists, a playoff career high. While the Los Angeles Lakers were impressive, the Phoenix Suns could not find the answer that they needed. Steve Nash pt up a decent showing again with 15 assists but had only 11 points into his name. It was Jason Richardson who was the sparked in this game, scored 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Grant Hill was also superb with 23 points. The series shifts to Phoenix in Game 3 where the Suns hoping to win.

Celtics Take a Commanding 2-0 Series Lead

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo combined for 53 points leading the Boston Celtics with an all-important win in game 2, 95-92. Pierce had 17 of his 28 points in the first half that saw the C's build an 11 point lead in the first quarter with 23-12 on Pierce 3 pointer. But Orlando responded with a 16-2 run to take the lead on JJ Redick's 3 pointer. It was a tight match from then on the first half with the Celtics leading by only 2 points 53-51. In the third quarter, the Celtics responded a run on their own leading by as much as 10 points, 70-60. But Orlando surge a series of rallies and taste the lead once more on Carter's jumper making its a 90-89 count. But Kevin Garnett replied with a jumper on his own. With the Celtics leading 93-92, Pierce was fouled attempting a jumper and made the two charities making it 95-92. In the next play, Carter was fouled while getting to the hoop. But Carter missed the 2 fouled shots given. The Orlando magic has another chance of sending the game into overtime but Jameer Nelson's long 3 pointer at the buzzer fell short. Dwight Howard was superb in this game scoring 30 points while Vince Carter and JJ Reddick had 16 points apiece for the Magic.

Amir Khan too Good for Malignaggi

Welcome to America! The King Khan is here. With Freddie Roach as his trainer and Alex Ariza as his conditioning coach, Amir Khan has no problem disposing off "The Magic Man". Pauli Malignaggi was nowhere to be found with Khan dominating the fight from start to finish before referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight awarding the TKO victory for Khan. Amir Khan could end up facing the mandatory challenger Marcos Maidana of Argentina in the next fight.

Lakers Rout Suns behind Kobe's 40

The Los Angeles Lakers was too much coming away with an impressive win 128-107. Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers with a game high 40 points, his 6th straight 30+ points in the playoffs and scoring 21 points in the third quarter run.. Lamar Odom was good in this one scoring 19 points and grabbing 19 rebounds, a playoff career high. The game was tight in the first quarter with the Suns grabbing a 5 points lead, 20-15 after a 3-pointer by Jason Richardson. But that that was all they have got as the Lakers put on a gallant display and hot-shooting to lead by as much as 26 points in the fourth quarter. Amare Stoudemire leads the Suns with 23 points Steve Nash added 13 points and 13 assists. Robin Lopez was the only bright spot for the Suns with 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Celtics Hand Magic First Loss in Playoffs

The Boston Celtics brought the Magic back down to earth as they won 92-88 . It was a statement win for the Celtics after the Magic went on a 14 game winning straight bridging from the regular season and the playoffs. They won 8 straight in the playoffs with most of the games won by a very large number. But now the challenge has been issued by the Celtics as they are a formidable opponent by the Magic in the playoffs. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for 47 points to lead the Celtics and Rasheed Wallace also making a big contribution scoring 13 points. Allen scored 25 points and Pierce added 22 points needing only 8 shots. The Celtics were superb throughout the game, leading by as much as 20 points,thus, making defensive stops when the Magic made a rally in the third and fourth quarter. Vince Carter lead the Magic with 23 points and Dwight Howard saddled by foul trouble in most part of the game, scored 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds but had 7 turnovers.

What's Next for Lebron?

The loss from the hands off the Boston Celtics sends Lebron James cut short again on his bid to win the NBA Championship. After many years of disappointments in the playoffs and in the finals, James could exercise his options on what to do 2 months from now. He will be a free agent after all. A big free agent that all the other teams like to sign with. There are teams like Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, LA Clippers, Miami Heat and all teams eying for Lebron James in this year's offseason. Re-signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers is also one of the many options that Lebron should consider. There are also reports that he could end up with the Oklahoma City Thunder joining Kevin Durant. But all this reports are all fact only, it all goes down depending on the decision that Lebron James will make in his future plans.

For me, Lebron James could end up teaming with either Dwyane Wade , Chris Bosh or even Amare Stoudemire. It looks uncertain on what team they might be teammates. He has so many options and I could not wait for the his new updates and his future plans in the NBA.

PBA Lifted the Suspension on Wynne Arboleda

After a heated argument with a fan and kicking that person in a game against the Smart Gilas team last October 16, 2009 that lead to his suspension, the PBA has seen the proactive engagement of Wynne Arboleda to project a good impression to the public by rendering services to the community. The said suspension was lifted and cut short by the PBA but Arboleda has to pay the 10% gross of his monthly income from May 15 to August 15 2010, the period remaining on his suspension penalty had it been served in full. He is expected to officially rejoin his team in an out-of-town game in Panabo City, with the Air 21 Express tries to halt its losing streak of 6 games.

Williams, Reyes Help Talk N Text Win 6th Straight

Newly acquired players from the Sta Lucia Realty, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes put a gallant effort as they contributed right away, drubbing off the Coca Cola Tigers 103-93. Williams came from the bench and played for 24 minutes scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and Reyes had all of his 5 points in the fourth quarter, stopping the rally set by the Coca Cola Tigers in the fourth. After seeing their lead trimmed down to three points, Reyes scored in transition and finishing it with a 3-point play, giving the Tropang Texters lead for good, 90-82. Shawn Daniels leads the Tropang Texters with 23 points and 17 rebounds while Mac Cardona added 20 points, 12 coming from the third quarter. Gary David had 21 points for the Tigers, losers of five straight. New Coca Cola import, Rashad Bell, playing in place of James Penny, had only 18 points to show.

Garnett Carries Celtics Eliminate Cavaliers

"Our Season Never Ends here, We can be excited in one night, winning one game, winning a season, but that's not going to be our season. Our goal is to win the championship", a statement from Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics after eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. He make up from his playoff series slump in the series with an impressive game 5 and a decent game 6 performance. Nobody expected this to happen for the Boston Celtics after such a roller coaster ride in the regular season. But that was forgettable and now they are back into contention, a different team from the regular season and a similar team that won the championship two years ago.

Kevin Garnett, remains to be the puzzle unsolved by the Cavaliers, leads the go-ahead win for the Boston Celtics, ending up the championship hopes of Lebron James. Garnett scored 22 points and 12 rebounds while Rajon Rondo added 21 points and 12 assists as the Celtics finished the Cavaliers, 94-85. Lebron James falls short once again for his dreamed NBA Championship but was spectacular with this one. He makes up in his game 5 disappearing act performance, having a standout, triple-double performance of 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists but had 9 turnovers. He keeps fighting back but only to fall short off the Celtics run in the 4th quarter. This could be the end of Lebron James suiting up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He could be traded in the off-season. But for the Boston Celtics, the challenge has now been announced and will be facing the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Talk N Text Acquired Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes

After many weeks of conversation and trade humors, the trade has now been done between Sta Lucia Realtors and the Talk N Text. The Barako Energy Coffee first traded Ogie Menor to Talk N Text for a future secound round pick in the 2010 Annual Draft. Then the Realtors and the Tropang Texters made an agreement.The Realtors give up its marquee players of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes for Ali Peek, Nic Belasco, Pong Escobal and Ogie Menor. It was a big loss for the Realtors as they have to play against any team in the league without their key players, as the teary-eyed team Sta Lucia team manager Buddy Encarnado accepts it with a heavy heart. However, this trade serves as for the benefit of the RP team with Rajko Toroman badly wants the services of Kelly Williams. The Serbian coach is also eying Ryan Reyes and Jared Dillinger to the RP team. All of these three key players are in the Talk N Text team and might be pulled in with the RP team in quite sometime now.

Later after that trade, another three-team trade involving the same teams, with Barako Energy Coffee giving up Yousif Aljamal for Sta Lucia's Charles Waters. But Waters was then dealt by the Coffee Masters in exchange for Talk N Text Mark Isip.

Boston Celtics Take Commanding lead 3-2

Paul Pierce came back from a miserable performance in the series, helping the Boston Celtics rout the top seed Cleveland Cavaliers, 120-88. The first half was tight until the Celtics went on a run in the third quarter leading by as much as 21 points. Ray Allen carried the Celtics with 25 points, Pierce made his presence felt after struggling in the series had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the C's. Kevin Garnett also made a big impact in the game scoring for 18 points to complete the Big 3 that once capture the NBA Championship in 2008. Rajon Rondo was his usual self finishing with 16 points and 7 dimes while Glen Davis was monster on the post scoring 15 points. The loss was a disappointment for the top seeded Cavs with Lebron James slowing down and the rest of the Cavs struggling. James had only 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting, including that zero field goals in the first half. Antawn Jamison, the player acquired form Washington to help the Cavs, had only 9 points to show. The only bright spot for the Cavs is the performance by the "Big Diesel" Shaquille O'Neal making his presence felt in the paint scoring 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Boston Celtics will try to end the series at home on Thursday night.

Lakers Sweep Jazz, will face Suns

The defending champs are too much to handle for the Utah Jazz as the Lakers advance to the Western conference finals with an impressive win 111-96. Pau Gasol had a stellar performance coming away with 33 points and 14 rebound while Kobe Bryant added 32 points, his 4th straight 30point-plus effort in the series. Right from the very start the Lakers had the game on their hands and leading by as much as 19 points at the first half, 53-34 until the Utah Jazz made a comeback anchored by Deron Williams in the 3rd quarter. The deficit was down by 5 points at some points in the third quarter. But the Lakers are not to be denied, playing well in the 4th quarter and pulling the game out of reach. Deron Williams finished with 21 points and 9 assists for the Jazz,beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in their playoff series in the recent years. The Los Angleles Lakers will now face the multi-talented Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals.

In Other Playoff Games:

Th Orlando Magic used their magical touch, wins in a dominating fashion against the Atlanta Hawks 98-84 and continued their unblemished record in the playoffs winning eight in a row. Vince Carter leads the Orlando Magic with 22 points.

Suns Scorch Spurs, Enters Conference Finals

After being cut and playing with a swollen right eye, it did not stop Steve Nash to take over and orchestrate timely plays in the stretch. His leadership put up a gallant show for the Suns scorching the Spurs for a masterful victory, 107-101. Amare Stoudemire leads the Suns with 29 points and Nash finished with 20 points and 9 assists, 10 points and 5 assists in the fourth quarter alone. The Spurs trailed by 11 in the third quarter until Steve Nash was hit by a wayward elbow from Tim Duncan. The Spurs used to that advantage and cut the deficit and even lead the Suns. But Nash return in the fourth quarter making a go-ahead 3 pointer to make it 80-77 and a clutch 3-point play minutes later. The Spurs would try to come back but Jason Richardson made the buzzer beating 3 pointer, leading 99-89. But the Spurs fought back to trim the deficit down to 2 points on a 4-point play by George Hill. But Grant Hill was fouled and sank the pressure-pack two free throws and Ginobili missed a 3 pointer in the next play. The Suns will play the Lakers in the western conference finals.

Defending Champs Outlasts the Jazz

There are key reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers signed up Derick Fisher from the Utah Jazz 3 years ago, the player stepping up in the pressure as the Lakers win in a closed game 111-110. Fisher hit the crucial 3-pointer, 28.6 seconds in the fourth quarter that saw the Lakers claim back the lead 109-108. In the ensuing play, the Jazz could possible take the lead but Wes Matthews missed the three point attempt and Carlos Boozer takes the rebound but was clobbered on his undergoal attempt. Kobe Bryant sank the 2 free throws in the next play to make it 111-108. The Jazz has the chance to tie it but the Lakers used their foul sending Williams to the free throw line. William made the two free throws. The Lakers could bagged the victory but Ron Artest made an errand pass to Fisher. The Jazz has the last chance to win it but Deron Williams missed a jumpshot at the top of the key and West Matthews tipped in missed at the buzzer. Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers with 35 points and Derick Fisher and Ron Artest added 20 apiece while Pau Gasol had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Deron Williams had 28 points and Kyle Korver added 23 points off the bench for the Utah Jazz.

In the Other Playoff Game:

The Orlando Magic prove too much for the Atlanta Hawks, as they used a 17-7 run closing the first quarter for a 28-18 lead and never looked back. Rashard Lewis lead the Magic with 22 points and Dwight Howard added 21 points and 16 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns Make it 2 in a Row

Nobody expected this to happen for the Spurs after giving the 2nd seeded Dallas Mavericks a hard time, the 3rd-seeded Phoenix Suns has one thing in mind beating the San Antonio Spurs 3 games in a row. Trailing for 72-71 going to the fourth quarter, the Suns were convince to use a great run in the fourth quarter with unexpected hero Goran Dragic scoring 23 of his 26 point second half explosion in the 4th quarter. He was phenomenal by scoring more than half of his team's 39 points in the 4th, leading the Suns just a one step forward to the Western conference finals, 110-96 over the San Antonio Spurs. The Phoenix looks like giving this game to the Spurs trailing by as much as 18 points. But they clawed their way to cut the deficit little by little. Steve Nash could have played more than 38-minutes with this one that could possbibly make him slower with his back problems. Enters Goran Dragic into the game in the latter part of the 3rd quarter and starting the 4th quarter with Nash n the bench. He was then impressive, hitting shots after shots in the 4th, thus, extending Nash take the bench for a needed rest. He scored 23 points in a quarter that Charles Barkley once achieved against the Spurs. Manu Ginobili leads the Spurs with 27 points but is not enough to overcome Dragic's heroics. In other NBA playoff games, Cavs demolish the Celtics..

Cavaliers Hand Celtics with a 29-point Blowout

The Cleveland Cavaliers, fresh from the Game 2 loss, came back with a vengeance and playing with superiority, had game 3 bagged. They were successful with this one scoring with 124-95 win over the Boston Celtics. It was the attacking mode of James in the first half that broke the game wide open. Lebron James was as impressive with this one, scoring 38 points on top of 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. Rajon Rondo, playing at its best in the first two games was uncomfortable, with the Cavs pressuring him off and on the ball with Anthony Parker putting up his gallant stance off Rondo. The C's were nowher to be found as Paul Pierce continuously struggling in the series making just 11 points and Ray Allen was absent scoring just 7 points.

Orlando Magic Soars Past the Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta hawks made their presence felt making the game closed until the Orlando Magic made their big 3's in the fourth quarter that capped a 19-2 run turning the game wide open, prevailing game 2 of their series, 112-98. The Hawks, after a 43-point loss in Game 1, is impressive with this game by making 6 of 7 three point shots, 25 of their free throws and outrebounding the Magic 32-22. Still, they were down by one at the end of the 3rd quarter thanks to the buzzer-beating 3 pointer by Jameer Nelson. It was a momentum shift of the game as teh magic carried that buzzer beater with a big lead of their own leading by as much as 15 points in the 4th quarter. Dwight Howard, after a bloodied nose from the start of the third quarter was impressive with this one scoring 27 points and grabbing 17 caroms. Vince Carter, showed what he can do, playing one of his best game in the playoffs, scoring 24 points while Jameer Nelson and Michael Pietrus contributed 2o points apiece for the Magic. The Atlanta Hawks was good in this game but came up short with Al Horford leading the Hawks with 24 points on top of 10 rebounds and the 6th Man of the Year Jamal Crawford added 24 points. The Atlanta Hawks will try to rebound in Game 3 of their series at their homecourt.

Los Suns Won Two in a Row

The Phoenix Suns, wearing an orange Los Suns jersey in part to protest Arizona's new anti-immigration law, beat the San Antonio Spurs 110-102. Six players scored double digits for the Suns with Amare Stoudemire leading the team with 23 points and 15 rebounds , Channing Frye made 5-0f-6 from three point range for 15 points, Steve Nash and Jason Richardson 19 apiece, Grant Hill (18 points) and Jared Dudley (11 points). It was a bitter loss for the Spurs as they were up by 9 points to end the 1st quarter and then hold on to tie the game at halftime 51 apiece. The game is tight after halftime, but the Phoenix Suns hit the game wide open with a barrage of threes at the endgme. The Suns were 1 of 7 from long range but finished the game making 8 of their last 12 three point attempts.

Tim Duncan has 29 points and 10 rebounds and Tony Parker added 2o points for the Spurs who will shift the series back to their homecourt, thus, facing a must-win situation to avoid a 0-3 hole.

Bynum Powers Lakers Over the Jazz

Suffering from a meniscus injury, Andrew Bynum came away with his best playoff performance of his illustrious career scoring 17 points grabbing 14 rebounds (playoff career high) and 4 blocked shots in 29 minutes of action. The 7 foot center was aggressive right from the start of the game making some uncontested post moves in the paint against the 6 foot 9 Carlos Boozer. It was another good game for the Utah Jazz but it came short as the Lakers had a run on their own to gain the upper hand. Kobe Bryant had his 3rd straight 30 points or more points in the playoffs, scoring a game-high 30 points while Pau Gasol had 22 points and 15 rebounds, Lamar Odom chipped in with 11 points and 15 rebounds, his first double-double of this postseason and Ron Artest added 16 points. Utah came back from large deficits in the first half but still trailing 12 at halftime,46-58. They have chance to close the game after trimming the lead by 4 points in the 4th quarter but Kobe Bryant once again came to the rescue to help the Lakers lead for good. Paul Millsap is teh lone bright spot for the Jazz scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Carlos Boozer and CJ Miles had 20 points apiece. Deron Williams, after averaging 25.8 points in the first round, continues to struggle scoring for only 15 points (postseason low) but had 9 assists. He missed 12 of 16 shots. The Utah Jazz will try to win at home, where they are always successful against the Lakers on Game three's over the years.

In other Semifinal Playoff Game:

The well-rested Orlando Magic bulldoze their way to a victory against the lowly Atlanta Hawks 114-71. Dwight Howard had a dominant game for the Magic finished with 21 points 12 rebounds and 5 swats. The Atlanta Hawks had their fight in the first quarter but came flat from then on, trailing the Magic by 48 points at one point. Josh Smith had 14 points to lead the Hawks.

Phoenix Suns Wins Game One

After four stringing losses in Game 1 over the years, the Phoenix Suns found the antidote to win game 1 of this years playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. Steve Nash and company held their ground on every Spurs' rally in the 3rd and 4th quarter, winning 111-102 to take a 1-0 series lead. Nash leads Phoenix with 33 points and 10 assists while Jason Richardson, that could be the missing factor of the Suns matchup against the Spurs in so many years, added 27 points and Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns. The Spurs made spirited comebacks down the stretch but Suns held their own as they managed to withstood every Spurs challenge. Manu Ginobili, playing with a broken nose, lead the Spurs with 27 points, Tony Parker had 26 while Tim Duncan added 20 points, who will try to bounce back in game 2.

Rajon Rondo Carried Celtics over Cavs

The starting pointguard of his team, Rajon Rondo issued 19 dimes to lead his team to a victory over the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-86 that tied the series 1-1. It was a see-saw battle in the first half with the Boston Celtics lead by only 4. Rondo has 12 of his 19 assists in the first half. Ray Allen squandered for 17 big points in the third quarter outscoring the entire Cavaliers 17-12 by himself. After taking the lead for good to start in the fourth quarter 91-66, the Cavaliers stormed back, used a 15-0 run and pulled within 10 points on a basket by Lebron James 93-83. Boston, though closed out the game with an 11-3 run. Ray Allen lead the C's with 22 points while Garnett had 18 points and Rasheed Wallace, coming up from his scoring slump added 17 points. Lebron James, who was officially awarded as the Season MVP before tip-off scored 24 points while Antawn Jamison added 16 points and JJ Hickson contributed much of their comeback bid in the fourth, scoring 13 points. Game 3 will shift to Boston.

Lakers Wins Game 1

The Los Angeles Lakers, behind the rejuvenated Kobe Bryant, won over their archival Utah Jazz 104-99 in game 1 of the Western semifinal series. Kobe Bryant made clutch baskets down the stretch scoring 10 of his team's final 14 points. Bryant finished with 31 points, his first back-to back 30 point-game after one long month. Pau Gasol added 25 points, 12 rebounds and five block shots. Utah Jazz collapsed in the endgame after leading by as much as 4 points in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant did most of the damage and Lamar Odom made a putback that saw their lead back to three, 98-95 before Bryant took charge again abusing Wes Matthews defense down the stretch. The Utah Jazz were led by Deron Williams scoring 24 points with 8 assists and Carlos Boozer's 18 points, 12 rebounds.The Los Angeles Lakers aims to win Game 2 for a 2-0 lead.

Lebron James Wins 2009-2010 Season MVP

The MVP goes to Lebron James. It is Lebron, not Kobe Bryant, not Kevin Durant and not Dwight Howard. Averaging in this season with 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists, Lebron james deserves to win the 2009-2010 KIA MVP Award. He is an all around MVP-like player, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 61-21 record this season. He receive the award, together with his family, mother and his teammates in the University of Akron, praising his mom and giving special message to his girlfriend Savannah and to his two kids, Lebron Jr. and Bryce.

James is the 10th player in the NBA to win back-to-back MVP awards joining Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash. He is the runaway winner for this year's award receiving 116 out of the 123 possible first place votes with Kevin Durant picks four votes and Dwight Howard's 3. James finished with 1205 points nearly doubling second place Kevin Durant of 609. Kobe Bryant was third.

Lebron's 35 Carried Cavaliers over Celtics

Playing with a sprained and bruised right elbow could not stop Lebron James to score 35 points grabbed 7 rebound and issued 7 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers storm back for a 101-93 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game one of their 2nd round series. It was good for the Celtics right from the start of the game leading by 11 in halftime 54-43. In the third quarter, the Celtics managed to maintain their lead on a three pointer by Ray Allen 69-58 until Mo Williams of the Cavs started to catch fire scoring 14 of his 20 points in the 3rd quarter and Lebron James sizzles with a lot of highlight moves. The Cavs regain the lead in the fourth quarter and never looked backed, capped with the 3-pointer by Lebron James in the dying seconds 101-93. Rajon Rondo is spectacular in this game scoring 27 points and registering 12 dimes while Kevin Garnett added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the C's.

Mayweather too Quick For Mosley

This was one of the fights that I find it boring. It was a lopsided fight in favor of Mayweather. Mosley has his own share in the 2nd round but it was all that he can account of, as Mayweather started to switch back to a boxer style and establishing full dominance from then on. Speed was the name of the game by Mayweather as he repeatedly tagged Mosley with right straights and left hooks on his way to a unanimous decision with two judges scoring the bout 119-109 and the third judge scored it 118-110 for Mayweather. Mosley looks too tired in the fight and not making some headways in the match. He was contented to become a counter puncher. And, Mayweather initiates the fight. Mayweather deserves to win that fight and might have a possible boxing showdown with Manny Pacquiao this year.

Gasol Wins it For Lakers

The fairy tale playoff experience by the Oklahoma City Thunder ends as Pau Gasol scored on a putback off Kobe Bryant's jumper with .5 seconds left. The desperation 3 point attempt by Westbrook was short, paving the victory to the defending champs advancing in the second round of the playoffs facing an old foe Utah Jazz.

It was not an easy game for the Lakers as the Thunder storming back and forth in the game and hanging tough, leads the game over the Lakers, 94-91 on a driving lay-up by Kevin Durant. But Kobe Bryant made a contested, long jumper in the next play with 2:11 left in the game. It was an all missed shots between the teams after, setting up for the heroics of Pau Gasol. It was 17 seconds left and the Lakers watching a one-point deficit. Near endgame, WHO ELSE! Kobe Bryant has the ball, dribbling upcourt and driving past Westbrook and pulling up a 13-foot jumper only to miss but Gasol was there for a putback with .5 seconds remaining. That was only the 2-pointer by Gasol in the enire second half finishing with only 9 points but grabbing 18 rebounds. Kobe Bryant has an impressive night with 32 points. It was a sorry loss for the Thunder with Kevin Durant leading the charge with 26 points, going just 5-of-23 from the field while Westbrook finish with 21 points on top of 5 rebounds, 9 assists and no tunrovers.

In other playoff games:

The Atlanta Hawks found the answered in game 6 with a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks 83-69. The sixth man of the years awardee, Jamal Crwaford leads the Hawks with 24 points.

Utah Jazz closes playoff series with the Nuggets, 112-104 on Wes Matthews (23 points) , Boozer's 22 points and 20 rebounds, Millsap (21 points) and Deron Williams 14 points and 10 assists.