Finot’s Corner

Just Play Ball!

Last nights game 5 Lakers VS. Suns at the Staples center in Los Angeles, was one of the greatest games I have witnessed in my LIFE.

I had given the lakers so much heat after their game 4 in Phoenix, particularly Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant. Kobe had been so distracted by all the fouls he was being called for and he was frustrated by Fisher’s consecutive missed 3-point attempts.

REMEMBER how I told you that Derek Fisher is a 50/50 risk.. just like Paul Pierce? Well.. last night was Fisher’s NIGHT!!! He was kicking ASS on the court and knockin’ down those three’s. He had 22 points. Lamar Odom had 18. I really love the way Lamar plays. He is consistent in all his games. Lamar is the teammate and player you can count on. Infact, the Lakers head coach Phil Jackson was quoted as saying,”I tell Lamar that he’s his Ron Artests’ guardian,” Jackson said. “So we don’t have the blind leading the blind.” LOL!

This game 5 was one of the best games I had ever seen. They’re were a lot of great players of the night. From the Lakers you got- Odom, Gasol, Fisher, Bryant, and Artest. From the Suns you got- ( Maple Leaf brotha from the North) Nash, Stoudemire, Richardson,
that LVPBMPA ( Least valuable Player, but major pain in the ass)- Dragic.

The 2 players marked by almost SHAKESPEAREAN  IRONY- Ron Artest and Jason Richardson. Ron Artest missed 2 consecutive shots with the Lakers only up 2 points in the 4th quarter. The whole stadium was beyond angry at him, but all of their anger paled in comparison to the furry that Coach Jackson felt at that moment in time. Then the Suns scrambled in mesmerizing play that consisted of three rebounds which lead to the game tying shot made by Jason Richardson. This left the Lakers with only 3.5 seconds to make the shot. Personally, In my heart- there was NO QUESTION, it was going to go to overtime. However I had failed to mention that the Lakers were fouled near center court which left a beacon of hope..

Could Kobe pull this off? If anyone could it would be him right? .. MAN!!!!!!! Odom threw the ball in to Bryant, Bryant was short on the shot- Artest caught rebounded and made the shot! In less than a minute Ron Artest had gone from being ridiculed to REVERED. And Richardson went from being being hailed a hero to being heckled. Talk about your 15 SECONDS of fame! What a game… would Ron Artest’s float on cloud nine last… unfortunately much like Richardson- his happiness was short lived-Ron Artest was fined by Lakers Coach Phil Jackson on…continued on …

http://thefinozone.webstarts.com/sports_highlights.html

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Suns Evaporate Lakers

There were so many different season finales on TV at the same time as the game. So I didn’t see as much of the game as I had initially intended, however I saw a good portion of the second half and from what I could tell – Phoenix is playing INCREDIBLY! … Fisher is like the “Paul Peirce” of the Lakers- when it’s crunch time he either screws up ROYALLY or pulls of extraordinary shots. He’s a 50/50 risk.

Kobe had 38 points to his name, but  but he looked unusually tired and I sensed a loss of concentration ( especially in the second half). He was frustrated with the way the game was going- between Fisher’s consecutive failed 3 point attempts and a couple fouls calls which he was visibly upset about… on the plus side, he had the help of Odom, Artest, and Gasol, and they did a good job in aggressively defending the defense… but offensively the Lakers were depleted.

From the Suns side- Nash the dash is really doin’ it BIG.

I gotta tell you during this past month, I really have a new found respect for Steve Nash. This Maple leaf brotha from the north, has it ALL. He can communicate well with his teammates, set picks, & execute plays quickly and efficiently.

He’s got the SPEED, ENERGY, ENDURANCE, and ACCURACY!

He is a humble player and his free throw shot percentage definitely proves just that. Here is a player who is relatively older than the majority of the men he is playing against, yet he has clearly mastered all aspects of the game. He never lets his team down at the free throw line * cough Shaq* lol.. no, Shaq has been better compared to a couple of years ago.. I guess the whole “hack a Shaq” thing got to him.

BACK TO THE DISCUSSION! Nash is a player who clearly practices day and night and has polished his skills. He plays with a certain confidence that can only be attained from real hard work and dedication. Dwight Howard from the Magic, is an EXTREMELY TALENTED player, but he doesn’t have the same connection with the Magic- that Steve Nash has with the Suns. I would also say that it’s far more exciting to see the Suns play than it is to see the Magic play. Nash, Barbosa, Hill, & Stoudemire, are really fantastic together. The 4 musketeers really know each other well. They remind me of my favorite team, the SPURS!!!! My Spurs have really awesome chemistry. They know what to do, and where to be, based on who on their team has control of the ball. Without saying a word to each other. And this only comes rarely to teams who really have it TOGETHER!  To say that the Suns did great last night would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. Even three of the SUNS reserves were in the double figures!!

To be honest this game was not at all like Monday night’s exciting game (Celtics vs. Magic game 4)… Hopefully game 5 (tonight) will be much better, because in last night’s game- I felt like Kobe was not even THERE… Mentally… Fisher, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PASS THE BALL. You don’t have to be the hero when you’re clearly NOT. Lamar Odom, you’re doing great homie. Come on Lakers, you’re the FREAKING LAKERS!! Defending Champs, your close don’t lose your focus.

Tonight- Celtics vs. Magic GAME 5- If the Celtics win this, then they are IN THE FINALS!!!!! .. If not then they’ll have to go to Game 6, since the Magic are at a deficit in the series. Hopefully Garnett will be back to his normal self cause I think he caught a case of TRIPPIN-ITIS last game. Rando hold it down. Davis, don’t take all day on the shot clock, and Peirce be consistent homie. Cut it out with that 50/50 Fisher $HIT… On the Magic, Howard, your good man, just chill with the fouls, VINCE CARTER- You must be suffering from TRIPPIN-ITIS like Kevin G… I mean, even your own TEAM thinks that you’re trying to sabotage them! J.J, Matt, Ryan, and Jameer- keep that momentum from Monday nights win. You’ve got the home court advantage… USE IT.

Thanks guys! Keep it LOCKED @ http://thefinozone.webstarts.com and stay in the KNOW with FINO!!!!

Peace!

To get a recap of last night’s game straight from Finot’s mouth ,go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_az8l2OFc

Finot’s Take on the Celtics vs Magic Game

click to view video

I would describe this game as  close, exciting, and at times FRUSTRATING. Let’s start with the Celtics- They played really well as a team. It’s really cool to watch them play, because they communicate very well and that is key to their success in maintaining a leading win of 3 out of the 7 series games. Rando is a particularly exciting player to watch. He is quick on his feet, and always alert. In-fact if there is a turn over, it’s likely that Rando has taken control of the offense! Pierce, Rando, Allen, and Davis, deserve the credit for working adamantly to keep the score difference under a reasonable amount the majority of the night and that’s what helped them survive the buzzer at the end of the 4th quarter.

Howard led Orlando with 32 points and 16 rebounds including a pair of put backs in the final 90 seconds to seal the win. Nelson added 23 including back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the five-minute overtime.  The Orlando Offense was STELLAR! J.J. Redick kept knockin’ down those three’s and Dwight Howard…. well we all know how he IS! LOL. Slam dunk after Slam dunk. He drew a lot of fouls and he fouled a lot in return- at one point getting in a heated moment with Kevin Garnett.