Florida vs. UCLA...Part II!!!!

I really like the Florida Gators...In fact...I really like Joakim Noah(Son of Yannick)...I really like Al Horford(son of Tito)...I really like Taurean Green(Son of Sidney)...And I especially like Corey Brewer(he's going to be a tremendously versatile slasher and ball handler in the L)...and that's why I think Florida will put the UCLA Bruins out of their misery in this semifinals of the NCAA tourney. Gator/Bruins 2 will have the same result as Gators/Bruins 1...with the Billy Donovan coached team going on to face the Hoyas of Georgetown in the Finals on Monday night...wow...what a game that will be.

Now don't get me wrong...Florida could just as easily lose this game...on the strength of UCLA's

stifling and flummoxing defence...but they won't. UCLA could also win this game if Florida's big men get in foul trouble...but they wont. What exactly would it take for the Gators to go down to the Bruins? Almost a miracle. Florida dumped on the smaller UCLA squad last year by 16 points in a game that was decided early on. Not sure what would change that scenario this time.

Arron Afflalo is a nice college player...he's the stud of the squad from Westwood...but the 6'5" 215lb guard has his work cut out for him in this semi final. Especially when Noah is locked in on playing defence in the paint. Son of Yannick already has 8 blocks this NCAA tourney...he had 16 last year...will be ready to send UCLA's shots all the way back to California if he has his way. Horford...mmmh! What superior big man skills he has down low...he's a bully in the post...but he also has a deft touch with the jump hook and a drop step that would make him a favorite on Dancing with the Stars!

Can you sense a bias here? Well it's because I like Florida...what can I say. The weather is good down there as well. I also like the fact that Noah stayed in College even though he would have certainly been the number one overall pick in 06 had he went pro. Kudos to him for realizing what many who jump to the pros fail to realize and appreciate...COLLEGE LIFE IS FUN!

Now Afflalo will have some help from the likes of Josh Shipp...Darren Collison and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute...but it won't be enough...Florida takes this 75-58 in rout.

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Drew

FINAL 4 2007: BATTLE OF THE BIGWIGS!!!!!

Am I the only one excited about this Mammoth of a Final 4 that is before us? I have been sleepless in Toronto and in high anticipation of a weekend of basketball that is sure to be one of the best ever as far as college sports goes. All 4 teams involved...Florida...OhioState...

Georgetown and UCLA have won at least one NCAA basketball crown...and no team is lower than a 2 seed!

This type of POWER hasn't been seen since 1993. That's a gap op 14 years since the Final 4 perennially featured mostly bigwig schools of college basketball. The fact that guys have to play at least one year in college is a big boost to this year's proceedings. Today I will discuss the Georgetown/Ohio state contest...The center matchup in this game has me salivating like when I was a kid at Christmas time...I can see myself right now...I'm there under the tree...and want to open the presents early but I know I'll get in ass kicked by my mother for doing it. Well Christmas has come early for all basketball lovers in the form of this future classic college b-ball slug fest. Two 7 footers are going to leave deep indentations in the paint...both are Sasquatch sized centers weighing almost 600lbs combined...and both will certainly be battling each other in the NBA for years to come...Greg Oden is a beast but he's probably jumping to the league after the season...especially if he wins the championship. Roy Hibbert has gone from not being able to do a SINGLE push up when he first arrived at Georgetown to being a solid if unspectacular center who plays a perfect role in the back door/Princeton style offence that John Thompson III runs to perfection. Have you thought about that offence? I mean really...Georgetown has athletes running off screens and cutting back door to the tune of uncontested layups and slam dunks with no defender in sight. What an invention! JT3 is a genius I say...nominate the guy for president...forget Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton...JT3 already resides in the nation's capital! Maybe soon you'll see more teams playing this style of ball which was patented by the great Pete Carill of Princeton! Ironically it was a Princeton team that almost upset Georgetown in 1989 as the #1 seeded Hoyas squeaked out a 50-49 win over the 16th seeded Tigers! JT3 played at coached at Princeton before coming to Georgetown...and has brought the crisp passes and movement to Hoya nation. Personally, I love to see good team basketball and Georgetown has been a breath of fresh air this season. Their team is reminiscent of the old HOYA squads back in the late 80's and early 90's that featured court killers like Patrick Ewing, Perry McDonald, Reggie Williams, and the three Michaels...Graham, Wingate and Jackson! If you want to see what tough ball was...check out your daddy's old tapes...this was when the Big East was king! They intimidated teams with their dark Nike sponsored uniforms and shoes and their Hoya Destroya mentality.

Their counterparts...Ohio State are no slouches...They've come back from the dead twice in this tourney...hitting big shot after big shot to stave off elimination...and mostly without late help down the stretch by Oden. His best game so far was OSU's last game against Memphis...

dropping 17 points while hauling in 9 rebounds on 7 of 8 shooting. But the key for OSU offensively is their guards...Ron Lewis has been this year's MVP knocking down big shot after big shot...a la Robert Horry of the NBA. Lewis and point guard extraordinaire Mike Conley Jr combined for 41 points and 10 assists in the Memphis game...and were a combined 19 of 20 from the field...WOW! Move over Batman and Robin...those guys are the real life DYNAMIC DUO! Lewis reminds me of former OSU sharpshooter and NBA veteran Jimmy Jackson. J.J. was smooth as silk and Lewis is his clone. Ultimately this game will be determined by which team gets better play from their guards...Conley,Lewis and Jamar Butler vs. Johnathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp. Plus Georgetown will need big games from Big East player of the year Jeff Green and Patrick Ewing Jr.

My pick: Georgetown 78-75. Go Hoyas Go!

Lates

Drew

READERS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ON ARTICLES...click on COMMENTS below each story and spit your game! I want to know your take on things.

Does this man shoot too much?

Kobe Bryant is a God send to some and he is an Enigma to others. It's seems no matter what he does...he gets vilified for being Kobe. Toronto fans know all too well just how good Kobe can be. The 81 point barrage he threw down against the Raptors Jan 22, 2006 was one of the single greatest sports feats in the last 50 years. The 28 year old...also known as Mamba throughout the league is a one-man wrecking machine. How does he get it done you say? Well he can do it all on any parquet floor near you. Play off him and he will drain the 3 with the best of them...some about 3 or 4 feet behind the line! He shares the NBA record for most 3's in a game at 12.(Donyell Marshall). Play him close and he will find a way to get to the hoop for a rim-rocking jam or awkward looking layup in traffic...like very few in the League. He also has a signature turn-around jump shot(usually from the baseline...and he uses the pump fake better than Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan in their primes! If you foul him...and he happens to miss the shot or continuation play...It's as good as 2 points because he shoots almost 87 % from the line. He can play defence too...can guard the one the two or the three and is consistently one of the leaders in steals in the NBA. A career 24.5 ppg scorer...Bryant has averaged 27.6 ppg, 35.4 ppg, and now 30.9 in his last 3 seasons...including 06-07. He's an unstoppable scoring machine...probably the deadliest offensive player in League history not named Jordan or Chamberlain. He is simply unguardable. He reminds me of a player back in the day that I used to "try to defend"....basically I had no chance at stopping him from scoring...so all I could hope for was to "pray" that he missed the shot...and that's the way NBA defenders must feel...absolutely helpless! This man is an assassin on the hardwood...and he takes no prisoners.

But does he shoot too much for his and his teams own good? I mean he's scored at least 50 points in 4 of his last 6 games...his streak of at least 40 in his last 6 came to an end last night as the league worst Memphis Grizzlies held Mamba to 23 points on 27 % shooting.

I'll tell you this...as great as Kobe is...I WOULDN'T want to play with him when he's scoring 50 plus because he dominates the ball way too much and doesn't let the other Lakers players establish themselves in these ball games...Poor Lamar Odom...in the 4 games where Kobe topped 50(he tied Wilt Chamberlain as the only 2 players in league history to score at least 50 points in 4 straight games)...Odom took 47 shots or about 12 a game...while Bryant jacked up 140 shots for a 35 shot per game clip...Sounds like a hog to me. If it smells like a hog and looks like a hog it is a hog! Now the Lakers had lost 7 straight before Kobe went on his Chamberlainesque scoring binge and they ended up winning their next 5 ballgames...but I'm sure Lamar wants out of LA...you can't believe he's happy playing 2nd...actually 3rd fiddle to Bryant every single game because it's just Kobe up here(Simon says touch your head) and then the rest of the squad down here(Simon says touch your toes).

Lamar it's time to go my man...get out of Tinseltown while you still got game. Salvage that all-world potential that you tantalized us watching you at Rhode Island and with the Miami Heat a couple seasons ago.

Kobe changed his number from 8 to 24 to re-invigorate his career and image...Lamar it's time for a new uniform for you...and it really doesn't matter what number you wear because the lucky number 7 will always be on your side my man.

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Drew

Say It Ain't So Garbo

Damn it! Where are the basketball Gods when we need them? In a season full of promise
and potential the Dinos have been struck by one key injury after another! First it was
Chris Bosh...then it was T.J. Ford followed by Jorge Garbajosa...don't forget Jose Calderon and
then Anthony Paker...oops...lets not forget Andrea Bargnani and now Garbajosa goes down again for what is surely a season ending injury. I'm not a betting man...but I would put money on the fact that the ankle was probably dislocated and/or the bones came through the skin(open fracture)...just by the way his hombre Jose Calderon through the towel on his leg. Garbo means so much to this team. He hustles...knows how to defend the post...takes up space and generally has a very high basketball IQ. So this loss is bigger continuity wise than the loss of Il Mago,
Andrea Bargnani! Toronto will feel the absence of Garbo immediately...so who will fill his void and take their game to another level? It could be Joey Graham...Mo Pete...Chris Humphries...and maybe even newly acquired Luke Jackson could play a part. Safe to say...Chris Bosh and Ford will have to BRING IT even more! Surely the God's know the Raptors have not made the playoff in years! Why do this to the faithful in this great city?I mean the Leafs are struggling...almost dead but still faintly alive in the playoff chase. The Blue Jays didn't win the World Series and the
Argos failed to take home the Grey Cup...Safe to say...things have been tough for Sports fans in the T-Dot in the last few years. When will the agony end? Is there a rainbow and sunny skies on the horizon? I'm not sure. The Raps were rolling along on their way to a division title(they should still win the AWFUL ATLANTIC) and with a full squad could have really done some damage come playoff time.
Looks like that damage may be limited with the latest injury to a key player. At this time the Raptors are getting Garbo back to Toronto...but they haven't made a diagnosis yet about his terrible looking leg injury. Raptor team physician Dr. Paul Marks and Dr. Johnny Lau will see him sometime today hopefully and find out the gory details. Now although the Raptors have had several players go down...It's been a tough year injury wise throughout the rest of the NBA...as countless players...star and role players combined...have gone down with injuries...Ray Allen done for the season. Dwayne Wade probably done till playoffs...Bobby Simmons done for the season.T-Mac injured throughout the season...Yao Ming injured a couple times. Shaq injured for 2/3rd's of the season...Chris Paul...Steve Nash...Joe Johnson... Lebron James...Rashard
Lewis...Shaun Livingston...Lamar Odom....and don't forget the whole Knicks team. The injury bug has not spared anyone in this rather disappointing 2006-2007 season. The NBA is about entertainment...as much as competition and the fans have been robbed many times of seeing their own star players and ones on visiting teams come to town. Not sure what the league can do about the rash of injuries this year... it's part of sports...guys go down..plain and simple. It happens in the NFL...the NHL... Major League Baseball...you name the league and I can show you their injury woes. My question is...are these athletes too big and too fast now? Is the
82 game season too long...especially for former NCAA players(many of whom play 1 or 2 years) and Euro imports who play on average about 40-45 games a season? Should the season be cut down to say 60 games to limit the physical stress and exertion that these physical specimens endure? David Stern may seriously have to think of some kind of solution for the world being robbed of watching these athletes perform. Maybe there is no solution and it's just a natural occurrence when you have 200-300 lb bodies colliding at full speed on the floor and in the air.
What's your take?

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The Enigma

The Great Garbo Goes Down!

The Raptors got handled 95-87 tonight by the oh-so awful Boston Celtics who had lost 3 straight coming in. But give the C's credit as they came to play in this one...We'll get to the details in a minute...because the story of the game for the Raptors was the grotesque injury suffered by Spanish import Jorge Garbajosa. Late in the 4th quarter Garbajosa showing the hustle he has displayed all year went down in a heap trying to block a breakaway scoring opportunity by Al Jefferson. Safe to say...a human ankle is not supposed to bend like that. The look on Jefferson's face said it all...He had to look away after he took a glimpse of what Garbo's ankle looked like after the fall. Garbo was screaming so loud you could hear him on the TV broadcast even though the microphones near the court are muted so fans at home can't hear all the pleasantries exchanged by the players. Take it from me...when they throw the towel over the injury that can't be good...The injury is reminiscent of the blown out left knee suffered February 26th by Shaun Livingston of the Clippers. It looks like it's a broken left ankle at best to me and it could include a lower leg injury as well. Safe to say...I could be wrong but Raptor fans I think Garbo is done for the season...and that would be a damn shame...considering he's a glue guy on the team!
As for the game...Toronto came out sluggish, lacking energy from the outset and were fortunate to be down only 3 after the first quarter. The Raps couldn't seem to get over the hump of a sluggish start while the Celtics were off and running all game outscoring Toronto 22-8 on the fast break. Toronto gave up 19 turnovers in the game resulting in 25 Celtics points off those giveaways. Chris Bosh was sub par tonight scoring a paltry 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting in 44 minutes of tick but T.J. Ford did his part dropping 28 points while contributing 9 dimes in the ballgame. ..continuing his stellar play over his last dozen.
Anthony Parker scored 16 points and 4 rebounds after missing the last 2 games with recurring pain in that sprained right ankle of his. Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson poured in 45 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists...but it was the play of Rajon Rondo (what the hell you say!) that caused problems for Toronto all game. The Kentucky alum scored 16 points while dishing out 8 dimes and hauled in 5 rebounds(3 more than Rasho Nesterovic by the way). The dagger of the game came via Gerald Green, who canned a jumper at the shot clock buzzer to turn a 5 point lead to 7 with 31 seconds to play. Toronto was toast after that.
In summary...an absolute stinker by the Raps...sometimes teams like the Raptors who aren't used to leading their division this late in the season, get high on themselves...admiring their record while forgetting to BRING it on the court. This was a winnable game...in fact Toronto should have easily handled Boston...but in the NBA no win is guaranteed. Could they have been looking ahead to Shaq and the Heat on Wednesday? Possibly...but this team isn't good enough yet to look past teams...especially ones with a perennial All-Star such as Pierce on their rosters.
How good is that Luke Jackson pickup by Brian Colangelo looking now with Garbo going down?
It looks like Gold Jerry...like Gold!
Toronto falls to 38-32 on the season...still 6 games ahead of the Nets who were idle tonight and 8 games better than the Knicks who lost a 94-89 heartbreaker to Orlando. The Raps are now 9-4 in the Atlantic Division and 13-22 on the road this season.

Next up...the Miami Heat (TV-The Score, Radio-Fand590)...Get your rest Rasho...you'll need it! Dwayne Wade please take some more time with your shoulder rehab.



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The Enigma

My first post! Welcome one...welcome All.

Hello, my name is Drew Ebanks...I am from the T-Dot
(Toronto, Canada).
Welcome to my one and only blog...DUNK U VERY MUCH.
Now it may sound like this is a basketball blog by the name
but we will talk hoops plus much more here on the blog.
Anything in the sports realm is fair game...even
lawn bowling and polo are up for discussion....
mmmn...maybe I'm just kidding!
I am soooooo excited to get this blog going.
Please feel free to respond to my blog entries
as I appreciate the feedback.
Now to let u know...My favourite teams include
and are not limited to...
the Toronto Raptors(Chris Bosh)...the Philadelphia Eagles
(Randall Cunningham)...
the Toronto Blue Jays(Joe Carter) and the Montreal Canadians
(Ken Dryden).
and always the Georgetown Hoyas(Patrick Ewing and Michael Graham)
Hopefully I won't be too biased when it comes to
my stories about these teams.
Forgive me...for I know not what I am!
Thanks again for visiting! See you soon.
Drew
p.s. Do you know who the player is in the pic? If so tell me why or why not you think his team will win the NBA title for 2007.