L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me…

Or did we at least get the number of games correct?  We picked the Miami Heat in six games, it was the Dallas Mavericks, however, who needed only six games to win the NBA championship.  Congrats to Dirk Nowitzki, the series MVP, who was outstanding, and the rest of the Mavericks.

Dallas was the better team and showed it throughout the series.  They responded to every adjustment made by Miami.  The Dallas players accepted their roles and put forth maximum effort in those roles.  They played a team sport as a team and won the ultimate prize, a ring.  (I am assuming Cuban was joking about not getting the Mavericks rings.  He feels that championship rings are passé and they deserve better.  Maybe championship crowns?  In the old days when you conquered a city you would take the King’s crown and present it to your King.  Watch out King James, you may lose your Kangol.)

I won’t pretend to be a psychologist, but Miami had real problems in the fourth quarter, especially LeBron.  It was as if they “checked” out at the end of several games.  While Dallas was just the opposite, becoming mentally tougher and focused in the fourth quarter.

LeBron tweeted that it was God’s decision, keeping him from winning this year.  I wasn’t aware that God was a Maverick’s fan.   LeBron stand up and take responsibility for the loss, you played poorly!!!!  It was a bad day, all around for LeBron, he wanted to buy a bottle of water from the vending machine, but didn’t have a “fourth quarter”.

 Is it me…

Or  is Mike Tyson becoming a likable person?  Mike Tyson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.  For those of us who follow boxing, we thought for   sure Tyson would be indicted way before an induction.  Tyson was very humble in accepting the honor and seemed genuinely different as a person.  The once proclaimed “baddest man on the planet” had difficulty speaking due to emotion.  Sylvester Stallone was also inducted for his “Rocky” movie series.

Is it me…

Or is Mayweather getting ready to fight Pacquiao?  Floyd Mayweather has agreed to fight Victor Ortiz whose style would help Mayweather prepare for Pacquiao.  Ortiz and Pacquiao are both fast, high-volume punchers who tend to press the action. They are also southpaws, and Mayweather — who will be ending a 16-month layoff when he steps into the ring Sept. 17 — has rarely fought left-handed opponents during his undefeated career.  Mayweather has had problems with southpaws, e.g. Zab Judah, who was doing well against Floyd until he (Judah) faded.

Ortiz is young, strong, and aggressive.  Mayweather needs to be careful, tune-ups can end up getting you tuned-out!

Is it me…

Or is Baseball still just plodding along?  Baseball takes forever to get interesting.  Hopefully after the all-star break we will have a few interesting story lines.  If not we can always watch the grass grow in the outfield, or watch some idiot fan drop his daughter trying to catch a baseball.

Is it me…

Or is there an NFL?  No news is _______news.  You fill in the blank.  The Millionaires and Billionaires  are really playing hardball.  They keep bumping heads over the $9,000,000,000 pot, they are going to have to be checked for concussions.  Trust me on this, when and if they reach an agreement, it’s the fan and the little guy who will pay for it.  NFL employees have had their salaries trimmed by 12 percent since April, and seven teams have instituted pay cuts or furloughs of workers outside the huddle since the owners’ lockout of players began March 12.

 Is it me…

Or is it good to see the Williams sisters playing tennis again?    The Williams sisters will be playing at the Eastbourne International Tournament.  Eastbourne, a warm-up for Wimbledon, will mark their return to the circuit.  Serena has been away for nearly a year and Venus for four months.   Their absence was due to injuries.  Like it or not, there is not much interest in women’s tennis without the Williams.  Welcome back, and good luck ladies.

Is it me…

Or are they still playing Hockey?  The NHL has managed to find a way to drag out their season.  Didn’t  they start their season before the NBA?   The Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins are still playing.   The series is tied  3-3, with the final game of the season tonight in Vancouver, just in time to melt the ice and go swimming.  Road team finally wins one and the Bruins take Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Edited  by D. Pride