Please Note: “Vic’s Picks” will be posted every Saturday that will include whatever Victor from the “Victor and Matt” show has on his mind. Whether it be a prediction, an event you must watch this weekend, linking his favorite story on the web or giving kudos to a great game or play. Here is this week’s installment of Vic’s Picks:
- The 2011 NBA playoffs have been nothing short of remarkable and exciting as evident with both conference final series tied at one a piece. Regardless of which teams advance to the Finals, the competitive games seen should, and I think, will continue. The Miami Heat advancing as well as the Dallas Mavericks would draw the biggest ratings. It would be a rematch of the 2006 title when the Heat came back down 0-2 to win the title. The Heat’s Big Three would need this title to silence many of their critics who deem anything less than a championship a failure, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd could use a ring to solidify their place amongst the all-time greats. The Chicago Bulls are out to prove they can carry the success of the regular season all the way to a title, the first since 1998. And with a title, Kevin Durant and company can make a claim to keeping up with the big boys. The future looks bright for the four remaining teams and as an NBA fan, I’m looking forward to see what happens next.
- On Thursday, the NBA’s all-time leading score, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar basically threw the Los Angeles Lakers entire organization under the bus. After his exit interview with Lakes General Manager Mitch Kupchak, Kareem used terms like “outsider” and “sore” after not being able to get on a team plane for a playoff, which might have been a good thing, especially with how LA played this postseason, but that’s a different story. This resentment comes because Kareem doesn’t have a statue outside the Staples Center like Magic Johnson or Jerry West. I’m surprised that the all-time leading scorer doesn’t have a statue by now, but calling out the organization who ultimately will decide if you receive a shrine or not is not a bright idea. Also saying you can’t believe they asked you to take a pay cut when they are paying the coach $10 or $12 million dollars was childish. If you haven’t noticed, that coach is Phil Jackson, the greatest coach in NBA history and deserving of it. Stop pointing blame and feeling sorry for yourself. You are considered by many people to be a classy guy, buy this behavior is far from that. If you want that statue as bad as you claim, make a public apology for the comments made about the Lakers organization and you’ll probably have your ceremony before you know it. Refuse and you might be waiting quite a bit longer.
- After two games, it’s obvious the winner between the Bulls and the Heat will come down to which team grabs more rebounds, knocks down open jump shots and earns more hustle points. Each team has already shown that just showing up isn’t going to be enough. With Miami stealing home court, the Heat need to hold serve if they want to win the series. In order for the Bulls to win home-court advantage back they need to find another scorer other than MVP Derrick Rose. Carlos Boozer’s play has been disappointing this postseason. Even without a solid number two scorer and mediocre play from Boozer, Chicago still dominated Game 1. This series is far from over and with two teams that have played close games throughout the season, playing seven games just seems right. Miami rides the momentum from Game 2 and continues it’s solid play in front of a ear-popping crowd and takes a 2-1 lead in the series. Miami wins a close one, 90-87.
- Also, don’t forget to listen to our latest (5.18.11) podcast show with NFL Hall of Famer, Warren Moon.
Thanks for reading the Victor and Matt blog. Contact Victor by email at victor(at)radioexiles(dot)com. You can also follow the show (@victorandmatt) on Twitter.