Three teams go up 3-2 against their opponents. Pistons advance to their sixth straight East finals.
In the remaining games of the second round, it's gonna be all about knockout punches. You see Muhammad Ali here pwning his opponent. I see the Hornets, Celtics, and Lakers doing the same to theirs. (image from: monroegallery.com)

It has been an interesting week. How much more interesting can it get? I mean, you don't often see defending champions get beaten by absolute first timers, and the Boston-Cleveland series is as complicated as ever. The Lakers-Jazz series is a classic in the making, provided the Jazz pushes it to a game 7. Anyway, here's what hap-unned.



Whoop-dee-doo.

Celtics go up 3-2 despite James 35.

It's when LeBron picked up the slack that his team lost.

Many will say it's a lucky win for the C's, since they were down by at most 14 in the first half. But for me, this just shows how resilient this team is, how strong they are at home, and how much the Cavs have to improve to be real contenders. LeBron had a good game actually, finally getting out of his four-game slump to shoot 12-25, but the whole team missed 13 free throws, and apparently, the whole team found themselves watching James and West, who scored 21, as they try to carry them to what would've been a huge win. Szczerbiak is the only other Cavalier to score in double digits.

You have to give lots of credit to the Celtics, though. Garnett and sophie hotshot Rondo was hot. Winless in the road or not, they're a great team. And so is their legacy.

So maybe, you can't blame the Cavs for being outwilled by a new team living up to their franchise's prestige, and in their very historic homecourt. Plus, the C's are really good when they're working together and not Sam Cassell-ing.

But it's still a wasted chance. Wasteeeed.


Stiff but sagely Bryant lifts Lakers to 3-2 lead.
An MVP doesn't have to carry his team on his shoulders all the time. He can simply jumpstart his team, back off, and let them do the rest. It takes a lot of trust to do that, and the wisdom of a great player to know when and how. And in Game 5, Kobe Bryant gave more proof that he wasn't just good, he was great. And no, yeah, it wasn't through his scoring.

Kobe shot 6-10 in the first three quarters, enough to boost his team and let him take the backseat in the fourth quarter, where he didn't attempt a single shot and just scored 3 on free-throws.

And they won. Won. Now they head back to Utah, where they've struggled for years, looking to finish the series, and be in the West Finals after a pretty long time. If the Lakers' role players step up again, with Kobe limited, they can win the next game and advance.

Hornets-Spurs? 3-2.
A game after losing two straight games in San Antonio, after hearing thousands of forecasts going against them being a young and inexperienced team, David West and Chris Paul showed Dallas wasn't actually that bad.

I mean, the Spurs are losing to this surprise team. So Dallas might've stood a chance against them, if it weren't for, well, the Hornets.

David West has a penchant for subtlety, and greatness. If you can't call having 38 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, against the champs, matched-up with arguably the best power forward in the league, in a playoff game, and still remaining unnoticed, subtle greatness, I don't know. On the same page, Chris Paul has had his way with miracles, and he definitely will try to make one happen now. Looking forward for the knock out punch.

Detroit wins, what else is new?

For the sixth straight season, the Pistons have been in the East Finals, yet they won only one championship. They are definitely stronger than ever, almost sweeping the Magic, with the help of their trusty tested starters and their young and energetic bench. The East has been weak for some seasons now, yet the Pistons advanced to the Finals only twice. I don't expect them to match up well with the Celtics or the Cavs.


That's all for now. Spurs-Hornets game next..