The Finish Line

Well, here we are: the last day of May. There have been 40 posts on Psychedelic Kimchi this month, 33 of them by yours truly -- most of them fairly lengthy, too. It might not appear so to the casual reader, but writing those posts and making sure (most of the time, anyway) one was put up every single day was HARD. I work long hours -- and watch a lot of basketball -- so getting home late at night to write a blog entry wasn't always fun.

I hope it didn't show, though. I love writing, had fun MOST of the time, and sincerely hope the feeling on my readers' behalf was mutual; but, to quote Gangstarr's Guru, it ain't easy, motherfuckers .

And as mentioned earlier this month, I'm probably going to post less frequently from here on out. Starting now.






Punching out,

Eoin

Pinch Me

I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away

The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter

This wasn't supposed to happen. The Miami Heat weren't even supposed to make the conference finals. Their weaknesses as a unit were supposed to prove Pat Riley's many critics right; they were supposed to get knocked out by New Jersey. Hell, after the Bulls tied their opening round series at 2 games apiece, many believed this Heat team (I wish I could write these Heat, but I can't; them's the breaks when you you name a team an uncountable noun) was headed for a first round exit.

Didn't happen that way, did it?

Instead, Shaq stopped playing like a runaway bull, restrained himself, stayed out of foul trouble, and voila!, the Heat brought the Bulls and MJ's fist pumping back down to earth.

But the Bulls were lucky to even make it to the post season; the Nets were, according to sportswriters who do a lot of coke, possibly the best team in the East. No way Miami could have as much success against New Jerz, right?

Correct. They had more. They dispatched the Nets in one game fewer than their series with the Bulls took. Call it the Vince Carter Factor, or call it a beautiful tableau of transcendental unity. Seriously, I don't mind either.

But the Pistons, man. The DEE-troit fucking Pistons? No way. No fuckin' way. They couldn't do it last year with a team with a better regular season record; no way they were going to beat this year's 64-and-18 bunch.

But, in keeping with the theme of this post season, a funny thing happened: just around the time the Heat were finding that unity they sorely needed, the Pistons were coming undone. After Lebron and Co. pushed them to the limit, they looked more like Cain Marko with his helmet off than The Juggernaut; more like Christopher Reeve after he gave up his powers in Superman II. Suddenly, at least to people actively watching the playoffs, instead of those coke-snorting sportswriters living on Planet Sleep, the Heat looked like they could withstand any opponent, conquer any adversity.

This surely wasn't supposed to happen.

And now Pistons players are criticizing Flip Saunders. Color me surprised. Not the same guy who pulled a reverse Stan Van Gundy and bizarrely started giving serious PT to guys such as Carlos Delfino, Tony Delk and Maurice Evans this deep into the playoffs!? Impossible! Zut Alors!

But it would be too convenient to attribute Miami's success in this series to the Pistons running out of gas. Yes, Detroit has played like shit this series; yes, their vaunted defence has been pretty much a joke; and, yes, Flip Saunders probably couldn't coach them to an NCAA title at this point; but give credit where it's due. Save for their awful free throw percentage, the Heat have been the most solid team during these playoffs. No, they haven't had any nail-biting finishes (unless you include their near-comeback against the Pistons in game 2), nor have they had the most exciting games -- not hardly. What they have been, though, is simply the best team in these playoffs. Bar none.

This wasn't supposed to happen. What once seemed impossible will -- barring an epic planet and the stars and the moons collapse -- very soon become reality.

The Miami Heat are one win away from making their first trip to the NBA Finals.

And to whom should we bow at the alter for this impending miracle? Shaq? D-Wade? Antoine "why didn't you play this smart your entire career" Walker?

Disciples.

Our messiah is none other than Pat Riley.

After the uber-trade was executed last summer, I was as big a critic of Riley's as anyone. I liked Joneses Damon and Eddie; I despised Antoine Walker for his selfish play, Jason Williams for his poor shot selection. And when Riley signed Gary Payton, who turns 38 soon, instead of a younger back-up point guard, I was borderline furious. These were moves more attributable to someone such as Isaiah Thomas than Pat Riley.

Read that last sentence again. I did, and it's made me want to point out another of my unfair and incorrect criticisms, namely that I was doubly furious when Riles supplanted Stan Van Gundy as Heat coach early in the season. I like Stan Van, and for a while believed that Riley made him step down -- please, let's not fool ourselves into buying Stan's claim that he wanted to spend more time with his family* -- because Riles, having been out of the coaching game a few years, was again hungry for the spotlight.

Never that. Riles's real motive to coach again was because he knew he had to take responsibility for the off-season moves he masterminded should they appear, early, to have failed. If he was going to live with himself for making that blockbuster trade, he had to step to the fore and call the shots, to make sure his vision of a championship contender unfolded as he had planned. In a way, he did Senior Hedgehog a favor, saving him from the awful criticism which would have resulted had Van Gundy continued to coach this Heat team. In hindsight, the personnel changes definitely weren't Isaiah-type moves, because Riley wouldn't allow them to be.

Riley taking the reigns, however, wasn't a quick fix. Not by a longshot.

The drama lasted the duration of the regular season, and continued into the start of the playoffs: it appeared not a damn thing had changed save the weather, and big helpings of schadenfreude were being consumed all around.

Me, I was hiding in a cupboard, hands clasped, praying with white knuckles that the Heat keep winning, that a change soon come.

And hallelujah! it did, the change building slowly and with care (and love; let us not forget love), slowly simmering before coming to a boil, like the perfect sauce cooked by a virtuoso chef. And everybody knows the best chefs make their ingredients adhere to the sauce, not vice-versa.

When Miami took out Chicago I was relieved, ecstatic when they bitch-slapped the Nets; but always the prospect of a showdown with the Pistons loomed, and that I feared like Donald Pleasance feared Mike Myers.

I had hopes of a Lebron/Wade series, but in the end I was only fooling myself. No, it had to be this way: it had to be against Detroit. No excuses.

I was thrilled -- and, truth be told, more than a little surprised at the ease in which it occurred -- that Miami took game 1. I was relieved that the series was shifting back to Miami after the Pistons reasserted themselves in game 2. In game 3 I was again overjoyed when the Heat won; but I knew that everything rested on the outcome of game 4. If the Pistons won, they would take a split back to the D, and that thought was palpably frightening.

The Miami Heat absolutely had to win today's game. And they did. There were a few bumps in the road (the end of the 2nd quarter and the beginning of the 3rd), but the Heat prevailed, not only beating the Pistons, but demoralizing them as well.

The series shifts to Detroit for game 5 on Wednesday (Thursday for me). And if the Heat should win, that cry of triumph you hear in the distance will be mine.

But it will be somewhat restrained, because one further step still remains (Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes did 'Money Train'/Dave Grohl misses Kurt Cobain): the NBA title.

I'm anticipating Riley will prepare another marvelous dish to get my mouth watered for that occasion, these conference finals merely an apetizer for the main course.

Let's Go Heat!

* As I read somewhere, when he returns to coaching will he give wanting to spend less time with his family as a reason?

Psychedelic Kimchi: Year Two

With all the excitement of the Miami Heat destroying the Pistons yesterday, I completely forgot that it was Psychedelic Ketchup's one-year anniversary. My bad. Anyway, to commemorate my outstanding commitment to...something, I hereby give you a hand-picked collection of my favorite blog posts of the past year. And, no, none of them are about basketball.




I Have a Poor Diet

Billy Mitchell, Pac-Man Champion

Taking Care of the 18th Letter

Good Samaritan

The Sins of the Father...

Haircut Horror

Baby Face

Green Meat

The 18th Letter's B-Day

Aqua Boogie

Trippin'

Overrated?

The New, Improved Immigration

Chloe Sevigny Sucks (I get a ton of viewers to the site from that one)

Potatoes: The Silent Killer (ditto, oddly)

Constantine

Lethargy (unfortunately for my wife, it wouldn't last)

We Wish You a Merry Chuseok

Diplomacy

Memory Lane I

Samsung's All-Seeing Eye

Why I Love Jaws

Memory Lane II

H.P. Pukecraft

Memory Lane 3

The Warriors

The Other, Other David Copperfield

Memory Lane IV

Christmas In Bundang

Hell, aka E-Mart

Psychedelic Kimochi 1

Psychedelic Kimochi 2

Mr. Mom 2

Memory Lane V

Things That Smell Like...Daffodils (I promise never to get any cruder than this)

Solicitation

Random

Movies for the Sick

Psychedelic Kimochi 3

The Korean Drama Drinking Game

Hot Dogs

Memory Lane VI

Nice Shirt, Flag

Top Hip-Hop Albums (100-75)

Top Hip-Hop Albums (74-50)

Top Hip-Hop Albums (49-25)

Top Hip-Hop Albums (24-1)

Not Psychedelic Kimochi

Trio

More Random Stuff

Anatomy of a Hoax

Mr Mom 3 (my favorite post)

Total Eclipse of the Kubrick

Annoying TV People

April Fool's

Memory Lane VII

Psychedelic Kimochi 4

I Keep Holden On

The Pandora Experiment, pt. 1

The Pandora Experiment, pt. 2

The Pandora Experiment, pt. 3

Even More Random Stuff

I Just Caulfield To Say I love You

The Resurrection

May

Galbijim Interview

Comprehensive website for all things Korea-related, Galbijim, recently conducted an interview with yours truly. Check it out

And be sure to peep their kickass forums here.

The Top Hip-Hop Songs

In high school, the best hip-hop radio show in my area (the only hip-hop radio show in my area, actually) was The Power Move Show , hosted by DJ X, on Ryerson University's CKLN 88.1 FM. Every Saturday afternoon, from 1 to 4, I'd tune in -- or try to; in the early days it was sometimes impossible to catch the signal -- to hear the latest in hip-hop.

One Saturday afternoon I was listening to the show at a friends' house, and X was doing a segment called "Figure the Flav" where he'd play a snippet of a record and listeners would call in to guess which song it was from. The song he played that day was Words I Manifest by Gangstarr, and I hurried to the phone, calling the station repeatedly until I managed to get through.

Once I did, I told whoever it was who picked up the phone that I knew the answer.

"We're through with that," he told me. "Someone already got it. We're looking for someone to do this new thing we have called 'Freestyle the Flav'."

I told him I could do that too, and he put me on hold.

Perhaps I should explain. If you're not familiar with freestyling, I'm not really sure why you're reading a hip-hop related post, but just to ensure no one feels alienated, freestyling is the sacred art of ad-libbed rapping (or at least it was, until the mid-90's when it became commonplace for MCs to routinely kick written raps in so-called freestyles), and in high school it was no small hobby of mine. Hey, I can't help it; anything I take an interest in, whether it be basketball, hip-hop, literature or pornography, I have to actively participate in. Anyway, I was no stranger to freestyling -- was pretty good at it, to tell the truth -- and that's why I volunteered to be the first contestant on Freestyle the Flav.

The rules were simple: I was given one minute to freestyle, the topic for which, to prevent cheating, was to be selected by DJ X. I then learned that the prize, should I win, was two tickets to see the legendary DJ Red Alert in concert that night.

"The topic," X said "is your favorite sport."

For anyone who has taken even a cursory glance at this blog, It's not hard to guess what sport I chose.

Now, I wish I could remember the freestyle exactly, but the only parts I recall are referencing John Starks and John Paxson; and unfortunately (and maybe purposefully, the fucker), before I got a chance to listen to the recording my friend had made, he taped over it.

But whatever. As soon as I was done, X opened the lines to callers, who would give their opinion on my freestyle.

There were probably close to two dozen callers, their opinions unanimous.

Dope.

Obviously this was the greatest thing that had ever happened in my young life (yes, at the time I was still a virgin; in fact, it was probably the pursuit of booty which ultimately led me to lose interest in freestyling). I was so chuffed, as the Brits say, that I hung up the phone before getting the information on where and when to pick up my Red Alert tickets. "My man, if you're listening, call back," said X. I did, and the guy who answered asked for my phone number. Stupidly, I gave him my home phone number rather than my friends'. So I didn't see Red Alert that night.

But I didn't really care. I've always been more concerned with the glory than the spoils.

And even though it's been over 10 years since I last freestyled, I'm pretty sure the sword is still fairly sharp, pretty sure I could take out any one of you sucka MCs.

Wanna battle?

***

Needle to the Groove by Mantronix

Mention MC Tee to even the most hardcore hip-hop fan and "Who?" is a likely response. And it has nothing to do with a lack of talent; it's just that Kurtis Mantronik was so talented, he managed to upstage his MC. No mean feat.

I'm Bad by LL Cool J

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Mr. Smith. On one hand you have the guy who did Radio, I'm Bad, To the Break of Dawn, Mama Said Knock You Out, and a bunch of other dope stuff; on the other there's the LL who has helped create some of the absolute worst garbage hip-hop has ever witnessed. Is there another MC quite like LL in that regard? Kane, maybe. A Taste of Chocolate, anyone? Prince of Darkness?

PS - On Thursday, for the first time in my life, I saw a girl sitting at a bus stop, sucking on a lollipop. Warrants mentioning.

PPS - I was having trouble downloading the song, so I hit up Pandora and created an "I'm Bad" station. Coincidentally, the 2nd song played (the first was Mr. Goodbar) was I Got It Made.

The Freaks Come Out At Night by Whodini

In my work, it's been my experience that the freaks come out once they arrive in Korea.

I Got It Made by Special Ed

I don't think Ed was trying to be anything other than sarcastic with his ridiculous rhymes about how much money he has and how luxurious a life he leads, but sometimes I wonder. That short guitar sample is what makes this so memorable.

Liquid Swords by GZA/Genius

The best lyrics of GZA's career. RZA's sparse sonic arrangement and the fun vibe of the record make this an old school throwback with new school appeal.

Hip Hop Junkies (remix) by Nice & Smooth

Nice and Smooth are funky, also hip-hop junkies/all we wanna do is uh-uh in you. Loved that. I'm a sucker for the remix's horns. Let me know where I can download this and I'll clean your apartment for you. Seriously.

Raw by Big Daddy Kane

Kane would never quite be the MC Rakim was (he was Daredevil to Ra's Batman, let's say), but he was close, and this, his debut single, is a perfect showcase for his next-level lyricism.

It's Funky Enough by The D.O.C.

It's unfortunate that D.O.C.'s career as a performer didn't stretch much further than his debut album, because he was the perfect west coast answer to the lyrical giants of the east.

South Bronx by Boogie Down Productions

Many people tell me my style is terrific/it is kind of different, but let's be specific. Boy, I know how that is. In his feud with MC Shan and The Juice Crew, Kris would save the personal attacks for The Bridge Is Over (this song's follow-up), instead wisely choosing to respond to Shan's The Bridge -- which claims hip-hop started out in Queens -- with a detailed history lesson. Did you expect anything less from The Teacha? The result is a classic dis record (peep the way Kris mimics Shan's style) , a geography lesson, and the epitome of boom bap all in one.

Catch the Beat by T-Ski Valley

Before De La -- before anyone, and it's been used A LOT -- used Seduction's Heartbeat, uh, beat, there was T-Ski Valley.

Synergy

I realize that ABC is looking to boost ratings for the upcoming NBA Finals, but placing actors from their hit series Lost on the rosters of championship contenders is going a bit far.

Here's Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael:

And here he is playing for the Dallas Mavericks:

Here we have Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (say that 5 times fast) as Mr. Eko:


And here he is starting at center for the Detroit Pistons:


In the end, ABC's cheap ploy will backfire on them, because it's pretty clear that neither the Mavs nor the Pistons will make it to the Finals.

Noinch.

Robocop boy he's down with us

I'm feeling good on a Thursday night, and I want to send some shoutouts to my homiez:

- Big shoutout to Boris "you the man now" Diawg. Show 'em what you got, Frenchie! I want to call that the game of the year, but hesitate to because there was absolutely no semblance of defence.

- Nuff respect to E-Mart for stocking Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish. I fucking love those things.

- Props to Pat Riley for playing mindgames with Ben Wallace in game 1. You think Stan Van 3000 would have done something like that?

- A shoutout to TMH and his wife. Sorry we couldn't get together before the two of you depart. Keep at the writing, brother. PS - my wife says get to some baby makin' already.

- One love to the 18th Letter and her willingness to chant "Let's go Heat!" every morning during breakfast. Yeah, maybe it's not the soundest idea to indoctrinate her, at such an early age, with an unhealthy obsession for basketball, but it beats having to listen to her and my wife shout "Dae Han Min Guk!" over and over again. Fight fire with fire, you know?

- Much respect to Gorillamask.com for this, which I totally missed during Mavs/Spurs, Game 7. If you will recall, I wrote Marv Albert says the Mavs have come out extremely agressive. Does this mean we're in store for more nut punches? Let's hope so. Turns out we were.

- Big (and long overdue) shoutout to the Internet for allowing me to easily get a myriad opinions on current music, DVDs and books that I'm considering purchasing. (And for allowing me to easily share files with like-minded individuals who share my same interests. *cough*) Saves me a hell of a lot of frustration and cash. What did people do before? Go broke, that's what.

- Major dap to the NBA playoffs. You know what, fuck it. This IS the best playoffs ever. I don't even care that there are still 2 rounds to go. I don't remember being this enthralled by a sport since my friends and I watched Annabel Chong's video World's Biggest Gang Bang.

- Props to soju for not taking itself too seriously and acting all frou-frou like a lot of other spirits. Keep It Simple, Soju.

- Props to my loving wife for putting up with my somewhat obsessive behavior this month, due to my goal to have a post up every day in May. Props again to my partners in rhyme, TMH and denz, for having my back on the few days this month I missed; and props again to my wife for giving me the green light on the top-secret Psychedelic Kimchi article I will, god willing, be fortunate enough to write. It may not come in May as advertised, but it's coming.

[crosses fingers]

- And finally, a super shoutout to every single person who reads Psychedelic Kimchi, even the weirdos who try to rile me with insulting comments. As I made mention last week (though it was in a -- sigh -- basketball related post, so most of you probably missed it), I'm (probably) going to take it easier in June. However, and you non-basketball fans are going to love this, the NBA post season wraps in a under a month, which means little or no b-ball stuff again until November.

I'll have to find another obsession to bore you with, I suppose.

I know: horticulture!

E

The Top Hip-Hop Songs

As many of you probably know, some controversy erupted when Brtitney Spears's people sued Korean singer Lee Hyori's record company over the song Get Ya, which they claim is a virtual copy of Spears's Do Somethin.

Now why am I writing about this? Because I'm all Bob Woodward and shit. It just occurred to me this afternoon that Do Somethin is a direct rip-off of Parliament Funkadelic's Erotic City. If you've never heard the song, give it a listen and try to tell me I'm wrong.

And if you think I'm above forwarding this info to Hyori's label, you don't know me very well.

Similarly, if you think the Korean media wouldn't make a big deal out of this new revelation, you don't know them very well, either.

***

The What? By Notorious B.I.G., featuring Method Man

Probably the most quotable Biggie joint, but that's no surprise when you pair the guy with the Ticallion Stallion.

Shook Ones Pt. II by Mobb Deep

Part one was a great song. Part two would forever change the face of New York street hip-hop.

So Wat Cha Sayin' by EPMD

With all due respect to You Gots To Chill (and Do the Steve Martin), this is the best EPMD song.

Music Man by Masta Ace

If you had told me in the late 80's that Masta Ace would be the most consistent Juice Crew member and have the longest career, I would have called you a lunatic. And then sprayed you with mace and run away screaming like a little girl.

Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.

You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge. Indeed. Hit conservative America like a gun butt to the teeth.

Passin' Me By by The Pharcyde

That backwards Hendrix sample! Do you think Fatlip turned to drugs because he was fed up being stuck with a bunch of MCs who were way behind him lyrically?

Ain't No Future In Your Frontin' by MC Breed and DFC

Part of the reason I started doing these posts is because it gives me a chance to highlight songs from artists that no way would have cracked the top 500, let alone the top 100, albums. Flint Michigan's MC Breed is a veteran to hip-hop, but he would never have another song with as much of an impact as this, which sadly didn't really make much of an impression at the time of its release, at least not commercially, because in the early 90's, if it wasn't from New York or LA, didn't no one want to hear it.

Take It Personal by Gangstarr

Guru's monotone flow is perfect for this narrative of cold revenge. Awesome drum track, piano, and that dial tone sample in the chorus is off the hook (pun acknowledged).

T.R.O.Y by Pete Rock and CL Smooth

In my first Top Hip-Hop Songs post I mentioned that The Message is probably the greatest hip-hop song ever recorded, but T.R.O.Y. definitely gives it a run for its money. Before Dear Mama and every other heartfelt hip-hop song that would come later, Pete and CL crafted a beautiful tribute to the late Trouble T Roy, one which is wisely more about affirming life than mourning, more about happy memories than regrets.

Fresh, Wild, Fly and Bold by the Cold Crush Brothers

Yeah, it sounds a little corny now, but the give-and-go rhymes of the brothers Crush paved the way for groups such as Jurassic 5 and the Wu-Tang Clan. Respect the architects.

Go Time

Teacher: What do you want to do with your life?!
Fat Kid Student: I wanna rock!
-Twisted Sister, "I Wanna Rock"

I think the smokes say it all, kids, time for me and the Better Half to take that big freedom bird and rotate back to the world.

Spark, I'm really sorry but all I can say about the 18th Letter and her present that I was supposed to bring on Sunday is:

But seriously, man, we be flying on Sunday so dinner is out. Nobody's more disappointed than me, but we got some opportunities there we can't say "no" to. Are you guys ballin' in the 'Dang on Saturday? Maybe I could stop by for that. I haven't touched a ball in two and a half years, so I wouldn't score at all, but I can still defend and board. That's like riding a bike. Plus we won't take any shit. I'll be McSorley to your Gretzky.

All you other crazy kids, keep your peckers hard and your powder dry. I'll try to get on here and post from time to time but I don't see us being able to afford a personal internet connection in Smalltownville, Central Washington for a while so they may be few and far between.

Tap 'er light.

Hope (NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals)

Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And a good thing never dies.

-- Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

The second game today was a bit of a letdown excitement-wise, but no way the same can be said for the playoffs as a whole. We still have 2 rounds to play, so it's still too early to call these the Best Ever, but every day that passes it's looking more and more like that might be the case.

You've probably heard that, this post season, we've already seen more overtime games than any other playoffs in NBA history. Throw in the number of close games, and what we've had so far has been nothing short of a gift from the basketball gods.

More prayers were answered when Dallas knocked out the defending champs, meaning that a new champion will be crowned this June. If you're talking about a favorite, all signs point to the motor city, but you can't discount the strength of the Mavericks--

Stop the music, as Jeff Jarrett used to say. It seems the prevailing opinion is that a Mavs/Pistons Finals is inevitable, these conference finals merely a formality. I might remind anyone harboring thoughts of that nature that the Pistons were stretched to the limit by a poor defensive team, and the Mavs nearly allowed a worn and tired Spurs team to come back and win the series, which would have led to sports writers the world over calling Dirk one of the biggest choke artists the game has ever seen.

No, the teams bound for the Finals are far from decided. The Mavs and Pistons may very well end up meeting each other in two weeks' time, but getting there will be far from a cakewalk. Please remember that the Miami Heat are by far a better offensive and defensive team than the Cavaliers, and the Phoenix Suns are...

Nevermind. Let's roll out the predictions:

Eastern Conference Finals





vs.





Here's what I've been hoping and waiting for all year. If you had asked me -- and I've written as much -- two months ago how this series would go, I would have told you a sweep for the D. But the Heat have come together since then. This is not the pseudo-gelling we witnessed shortly after the All-Star break, but the fully-functioning unit Riles hoped for when he assembled this team last summer. No bullshit. I don't know if it took the GP and Wade shouting match to do it, but sometime prior to game 2 against the Nets, the Heat formed like Voltron. I've been as big a critic of Antoine Walker as anyone, but I think (pray to the core of my very being is probably more honest, but whatever; see the quote which opens this post) he's finally got it, something earlier in the season I went on record stating he would never do.

The game tomorrow is going to be hard fought, and I honestly think the Heat will have a near-impossible time getting the W, but this team has some surprises yet, I think.

As for the Pistons, the D they showed on Sunday was completely ridiculoid. They played like they were on dust! Why it took a game seven for them to break out of their lackadaisical stupor is anyone's guess, but there's no way they come out tomorrow with a lesser effort.

The Heat should be prepared for them, though. You can bet Riles has a strategy, and, although he's a very competent coach, Flip Saunders is no Pat Riley. Riley picks up steam as his teams advance in the playoffs; Saunders's teams run out of gas.

Prediction: Miami wins series 4-3



Western Conference Finals





vs.





First the Suns were favored against Kobe and the his not-so-merry men, then, when they fell behind 3-1, every Tom, Dick and Hank made an about-face and wrote how the Suns are only built for the regular season. Against the Clippers, they were the underdogs at first, but those same critics again pulled a changeabout, and the Suns' standing in the mind of Joe Sportswriter returned to where it originally stood. (Welcome back; did you pick me up anything during your trip?) Now, they're going to be huge underdogs against the Mavs. Dallas after all actually has the defensive prowess to stop the Suns' run-and-gun offense, or at least slow it down a little; and Phoenix's own lack of D (read: they play D about as well as I speak Aramaic) is going to be fully exposed; but let us please remember one thing: the Mavs were able to outlast the defending champs because they adopted a similar style of play to that of Phoenix; and let us also remember how last year's series between these two teams went. Sure, the Suns, much like the Heat in the East, are basically a new team, and the Mavs have only gotten better, stronger; but if anything, save for the loss of Amare Stoudamire, Phoenix has similarly improved.

This is going to be a lot harder fought, I believe, than most people think.

And like Miami, I believe this is Phoenix's year. Sounds crazy, right?

Sure. And I am the basketball gods' fool.

Prediction: Phoenix wins series 4-3