Archive for May, 2010

There has to be a reason why the freedoms of speech, press, and religion were all chosen to be a part of the First Amendment. It was as if future generations of Americans needed to be reminded that these were the three most important freedoms on which the foundation of this country would be built. The freedoms of speech and of the press can be both a gift and a curse because there are consequences to saying or writing certain things. Whether they come in the form of boycotts or backlash, the freedom of speech is a two-way street. If [...]

I don’t want to get too ahead of myself here but it’s hard not to start thinking about a potential Lakers/Celtics rematch in the 2010 NBA Finals. With the Celtics holding a 3-0 lead on Orlando and the Lakers up 2-1  their series with Phoenix it wouldn’t be premature to at least start thinking about what the series would mean to both the NBA and the two storied rivals. For starters, there hasn’t been a rematch or a semblance of a rematch in the NBA Finals since the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz faced one another in the 1998 Finals. [...]

Following the Lakers victory in Game Two and their ensuing 2-0 lead over the Suns in the 2010 Western Conference Semi-Finals, I couldn’t get over the play of Pau Gasol. Many have said Pau Gasol is the “most skilled big man in the NBA” so I decided to take a closer look. As you watch the video, keep in mind that as you’re watching Gasol get up and down the court, hit cutters on a dime, shoot fall aways and generally move about the court effortlessly, that Gasol does all this inside a 7-0, 250 lbs body. An amazing thing [...]

Kobe Bryant once again proving he is the baddest man on the planet and in the third quarter of Game One of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, Bryant point on a display of offensive efficiency and mastery. Bryant’s quarter (21 points, 7-10 FG’s, 6-6 FT’s) help shut the door on the Suns and give his Lakers a 1-0 lead in the series. Analysis provided in video below: Justin DeFeo is a contributor to SirCharlesInCharge.com. Follow him on twitter.

Radio host and ESPN Page 2  contributor Bomani Jones posed an interesting question (via twitter) the morning of Game 6 of the Boston/Cleveland series. He wrote “Forgive me if this is hyperbolic, but can you name a game in the last 20 yrs more compelling than tonight’s Cavs-Celts?” I wrote him back with two suggestions–Game 7 between the Lakers and Blazers in 2000 and Game 7 between the Lakers and Kings in 2002. For starters, there’s nothing like a Game 7. It’s the closest thing that the NBA, MLB, and NHL will ever get to a Super Bowl. It would [...]

As I do believe that the Magic and Celtics will play a long competitive series, the Magic looked flat and for long stretches of the game looked ineffective on offense. It is no secret that the Magic rely on the attention Dwight Howard’s draws inside, especially off pick and roll action in which Howard is the roller, to free up room on the perimeter for Orlando’s host of three point shooters. It is also no secret that Boston’s Kendrick Perkins is the ‘kryptonite’ to Dwight’s ‘superman’ and again made the D12 look pretty ordinary in Game One (3-10 fg, 13 points). [...]

In the Celtics somewhat surprising series victory over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-final, some were calling Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo the best player in the series and with good reason. Traditionally point guards have the ball in their hands more than any other player and it is up to them to use any means necessary to get teammates or sometimes themselves baskets. Often times point guards call upon fakes or any use of trickery to accomplish this, Rondo being no stranger to that. In the second quarter of game six, Rondo uses slight deception and executes a [...]

Over the years, the NBA has some worthy candidates for worst travel no call in history. You have this beauty from Dan Majerle. There’s a handful of bad travels in this compilation. And then last night, Shaquille O’Neal basically danced his way to offensive rebound and an eventual Shaq lay-up. Take a look at the video below and you decide, was this the worst travel no call? Follow Justin DeFeo on twitter.

It’s amazing how one or two games under playoff lights can determine whether an athlete will be rich, super rich, or über rich when he hits the open market. Based on just the past few days you’d think that Kyle Korver was the one getting the max deal this summer and Joe Johnson was the one who might be lucky to get a mid-level offer. While that example is a bit of an exaggeration, there are plenty of examples where an athlete has parlayed a playoff performance into the type of contract that could be the difference between having to [...]

Just some clips at how the Suns backup point guard used a whole lot of cleverness on the way to 26 points against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Three. Take note at Dragic’s supreme body control and his use of the pivot. Enjoy: Justin is a contributor for SirCharlesInCharge.com. Follow him on twitter.