The Dallas Mavericks swept the Los Angeles Lakers a decisive and dominant performance to send the Lakers home for the rest of the season.  The final score was 122 – 86, and that was not even a true indicator of how demoralizing the beating was, it got so bad that Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum started taking cheap shots at Mavericks players late in the game.  Both players were ejected, and it made the loss that much more embarrassing for the Lakers who now have a bunch of questions to answer going forward.  As for the Dallas Mavericks they finally have shed the “choke” moniker that has followed them so frequently in recent years, and are probably playing the best basket ball in the NBA right now.

NBA

The Atlanta Hawks evened the series with the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night 100 – 88 behind the great performances of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.  Josh Smith answered his critics with a huge game – 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists – and fill-in Jeff Teague came up with the Derrick Rose-like plays down the stretch.  The Hawks did a good job all night of switching up the defenses on Derrick Rose and forcing other players to try to beat them, no one else stepped up for the Bulls as the Hawks pulled away at the end.  The series is now tied 2 – 2 and heading back to Chicago for Game 5, but one thing is for sure the Hawks seem to be for real this season.

Boxing

Manny Pacquiao put on another boxing clinic on Saturday night by dominating “Sugar” Shane Mosley who was once considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in boxing.  Mosley started his career 38 – 0, but is only 8 – 7 – 1 in his last sixteen fights, it appears that it is time for him to hang it up.  Most fans left the fight with the impression that he was just happy to be there, than actually expecting to win the fight.  Pacquiao on the other hand has a different issue; he is quickly running out of viable opponents that are worth his time to fight, the only one out there is Floyd Mayweather.  We know that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao will probably never happen, so at this point it’s not even worth bringing up.

NFL

As we predicted in last week’s Hall Of Fail featuring Rashard Mendenhall the backlash has already started to affect his wallet.  The Champion sports apparel company has ended its endorsement deal with Mendenhall over Twitter remarks the player made criticizing people for celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden.  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Friday that Champion “strongly disagreed” with the tweets and ended a new four-year contract the player recently signed. Mendenhall has endorsed the company’s products since entering the league in 2008.  Mendenhall tried to do damage control and clarify his comments later, but it was too late, he should have just kept it to himself.

MLB

Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano spun the first no-hitter of 2011 on Tuesday night, six were thrown last year. This was done while defeating the White Sox 1-0 in Chicago. It was the 248th no-hitter in major-league history, and with his 9.13 ERA entering the game he was pitcher with the second highest ERA to throw a no-hitter.  It was probably the  ugliest no-hitter thrown in the history of baseball because not many of the outs came by way of strikeout.

NBA Analysts have been giving the Lakers a pass all season on their mediocre play.  After the Lakers lost to the Orlando Magic on Sunday everyone said they were tired from their “Grammy” road trip, and they will put it together.  They then went out and were handed a 20 point loss to the Charlotte Bobcats of all teams, but no one wanted to hit the panic button just yet.  You commit 19 turnovers and lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers of all teams, then it’s officially time to say there is something seriously wrong with the Chemistry on this team.

The Lakers have the same team they did when they won the title last year for the most part, and right now those pieces are just not good enough.  Some will say the Lakers are bored and will turn it on in the playoffs, but their problems are deeper than that.  The Lakers are old and believe it or not Kobe Bryant isn’t as good as he was two or three years ago, and Derek Fisher can’t stay in front of anyone on defense anymore.  Lamar Odom is too wrapped up in releasing cologne and starring on T.V. with his reality television show wife, that he does not seem as hungry as he did in previous years.

Odom offered this as a possible reason for the loss, “We take teams lightly at times.  We play the cat and mouse game.  Sometimes the cat loses.”  Odom can offer that up for losing to teams like the Cavs or even Bobcats, but the Magic and Heat handed them two recent losses and the Lakers are not that much better than those teams (if they are even better at all).  The fact that the normally stoic Phil Jackson was yelling at his veteran team tells you all you need to know, it’s time to panic if you are a Laker fan.

This team has lost its chemistry, and with the immaturity of Bynum and quirkiness of Ron Artest thrown into the mix it is hard to overlook those as possible contributions to the problem.  The window for the Lakers to win another title just might be already closed, and another three-peat may not be in the cards this year.  It’s just the mid-point of the season, so of course the Lakers will have an opportunity to turn things around and get here form back.  The question is has the ship already sailed on another realistic run at a title?

The Los Angeles Lakers have lost four of it’s last six games by an average of 17.3 points per game, and with two of those loses coming to the lowly Grizzlies.  Kobe Bryant said that he “broke” the Lakers offense in a game recently, Phil Jackson go into a loud heated exchange with Ron Artest.  The Lakers still have a 24 – 11 record and lead their division comfortably, but all is not right in Laker land.

A blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Christmas Day started the woes for the two time defending champions, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.  The Lakers have finally gotten Andrew Bynum back from off season surgery, and it will take time for this team to gel with him back in the lineup and Lamar Odom going back to the bench.

Odds to Win the NBA Title: The Miami Heat might have been the hot topic this summer, but the LA Lakers are still the world champions and are not to be forgotten. The NBA odds makers agree, but put the Lakers odds just below Miami’s. LA is at 3-to-1, which means about a 33% probability of repeating this year.

Odds to Win the West: There is no uncertainty in my mind that the LA Lakers are the team to beat out West. They have won 3 consecutive Western Conference championships and are marked at -130 to make it a 4th. That gives the Lakers a 55% probability of doing so.

Strengths: The obvious strength here is Kobe Bryant. He produces his own shots at will, gets to the lane, and is the top finisher in the NBA. Last season he dealt with injuries to his knee and finger which correlated to a lower than average point and rebound total. Bryant had surgery to fix his knee this offseason so it will be fascinating to see if he will have the same speed. That shouldn’t affect his game too much though since he depends more on his physique than quickness.

The other strength of this team comes with their post players, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Gasol was outstanding again last year and is the perfect sidekick to Bryant. He is solid at hitting the midrange jumper and can move the ball as well as any post in the NBA. He opens the floor up not only for Bryant, but for Bynum down on the block.

Bynum is a big body who can score off the block and protects the rim on defense. If he can keep on the court for a full year you can expect him to be in the All-Star game come February.

The Lakers seem to fly under the radar on defense, but this team was outstanding on that side of the floor a year ago. The addition of Ron Artest gave the Lakers four solid defenders in the starting lineup, enough to make up for opposing guards being able to get past Derek Fisher.

Weaknesses: The one area of concern for me is with Fisher. Fisher looked old for a lot of the regular season, which is why I was dumbfounded to see LA give him a three year extension this off season. Out is Jordan Farmar, supplanted by Steve Blake. This is an upgrade since LA needs a good perimeter shooter from the point position.

Last season the Lakers declined to make a move at the trade deadline for a point guard and they still ended up winning it all. They didn’t address the need in the off season, but if problems occur early in the year then I expect LA to make a deal.

Prediction – 1st in the West: The over/under win total for this team has been set at 56.5. That looks nearly right on to me so I don’t recommend a play either way. Injuries are an issue with Bynum and Bryant, and if there are any hovering issues they will get plenty of rest coming before the playoffs. I see LA jumping out to an early lead in the West and coasting their way into the playoffs over the final couple of months.

If you want to make some money this winter, then get signed up for the NBA picks offered by our experts.

Lebron James has worked hard to shape his image over his seven years in the NBA; he has a publicly stated several times that he wants to be the first billionaire athlete.  People refer to him as “The King” because of his last name and the fact that some believe he is the best player in the NBA.  Lebron has been very careful to keep his private life out of the limelight, which is relatively easy to do when you play for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There is now a new reality for James one that he may not have considered when making “The Decision”.  James now plays in Miami, Florida which is a place where keeping your personal life quiet does not happen all that often.  The media in Miami are much different than the media in Cleveland, and now that he is in a more visible place reporters from all over the country will be snooping around for any information they can get their hands on.

Recently reporter Arash Markazi for ESPNLosAngeles.com had the opportunity to party with Lebron James in Las Vegas, and the subsequent story he wrote about his experiences was pulled by ESPN.  The story chronicled an event that was straight out of a dream for most men, here is an excerpt from the story to give you the full effect.

“About a dozen security guards, moving their flash lights, direct us to a roped off section on the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and rose petals.

Bottle after bottle of “Ace of Spades” champagne is delivered to the table by a waiter flying down from above the dance floor like some overgrown Peter Pan on a wire. One time he’s dressed like a King, another time as Indiana Jones and another in a replica of James’ No. 6 Miami Heat jersey.

James, who can hardly see the flying figure through his tinted glasses, almost gets kicked in the head on the waiter’s last trip down. He looks at the girls around him and says, “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy.”

Toward the end of the night, Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis walks past James’ party and looks at the scene up and down several times like a painting in a museum, soaking in the images of the go-go dancers, the “King” sign and the costumed man delivering bottles of champagne.

Davis shakes his head and walks on.”

“Five security guards are stationed around him, one at each corner of the table he’s about to sit at and another roving around with him, watching his every move. Anyone who takes two steps toward James is stopped and must have James’ approval to come closer.

The waiter bringing him his cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon juice makes the cut, as does the scantily clad brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder.

She wants to take a picture with him. “I can’t right now,” says James. “Maybe later, upstairs, I’ll remember you’re the one with the tattoo.”

That was during dinner, as James and his entourage head to the club through back hallways in the bowels of The Palazzo Casino and Resort, the story picks up.

“James, now wearing sunglasses in the dark club, immediately stands up on the couch and folds his arms high on his chest and nods his head.  He smiles as he looks at the dozens of people crowded on the dance floor.  Noticing him, they stop dancing and snap pictures as the DJ screams out, “LeBron James in the building!” and plays LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami.”

A giant red crown-shaped cake is brought over to James while go-go dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits raise four lettered placards that spell out, “KING”.

This is nothing new for James much like many other athletes, but stories like this about Lebron have only been rumored for the most part.  Very few concrete stories of his off the court activities are out there, this is all part of James’s plan to keep his image on the up and up.  He saw what happened to Tiger Woods and his endorsement deals when Tiger lost control of the information about himself being released to the public.

My problem with this situation is not the fact that James is celebrating his fame by partying it up in Las Vegas, any young red-blooded man would do the same thing.  But the fact that the story was posted on the internet and pulled within a half hour tells me that both James and ESPN did not want the story out there.  ESPN claims the author did not go through proper editing channels and the story was posting prematurely, then later they said the story would not be posted at all.

Why the cover up?  ESPN has invested a lot in Lebron and cannot afford for his image to take a hit in the public eye.  Having a self serving party in Las Vegas is par for the course when dealing with professional athletes.  I think Lebron over did it a bit, and I think he is over playing this “King” moniker a bit too much.  When a majority of the television viewers see themselves as conservative, and a majority of the viewership is struggling financially the last thing ESPN wants is their marketing cash cow viewed in an arrogant light.

The interesting part of all this is what if this were Ron Artest, Terrell Owens, or Chad Ochocinco would all of this be covered up so fast?  The answer is no, it would be almost front page news.  Ron Artest at club with a crown on dancing with naked strippers!  That would be the headline, but when it is King James all we hear is silence.  I have a variety of sports sources and I only stumbled across this story purely by accident, once again I am not saying that Lebron cannot party and have his fun.  My only point here is, let’s eliminate the double standard, if Terrell Owens self serving actions get reported on in the media then Lebron should be no different.  Making an ass of himself in public is his choice, but he should not be free from the same scrutiny as everyone else.  Doing crossover dribbles, shooting fake baskets, and faking dunks on signs outside of businesses inside a Casino are all immature and childish things to do.  But who can blame him, all the people around who want his money and to profit off of his fame are going to continue enabling him to act this way.

You can read the original posted article here if you want to see all the details about what went on at the party, this was captured by a few people before it was removed by ESPN.

The NBA Finals tip off tonight, and unless you have been hiding under a rock you should know that the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are squaring off again to determine the NBA’s best team.  I am not as excited about this matchup as everyone else seems to be, I am sure the series will be good, but some variety in the Finals would be nice.

I believe Boston has the better all-around team because of a how deep their bench is, the Celtics can rely on their bench to be productive more often than the Lakers can.  With Bynum playing on one good leg, the Celtics’ starters most likely have an advantage over the Lakers’ starters except for two factors.

First, Kevin Garnett may not be fully healthy either, as he seemed a bit sluggish at times in the Easter Conference Finals.  We won’t know for sure until the series gets under way.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, Kobe Bryant, if healthy and rested, can single-handedly make up any advantage that an opposing team has.

Outside of Lamar Odom, the remainder of the Lakers’ bench is no match for the Celtics’ bench.  Even at the end of the bench the Celtics can throw a Nate Robinson out there who has the ability to score in bunches; Jordan Farmar for the Lakers has been a disappointment to say the least.

Rasheed Wallace takes over for Kendrick Perkins at center with hardly any drop off defensively.  Plus, Wallace can make shots from beyond the arc.  Wallace has been dealing with back spasms, which can take a while to heal, and remains questionable for Game One.

The bench matchup comes down to Odom and Farmar against Wallace, Davis, and Robinson. That certainly doesn’t bode well for the Lakers.  But that does not guarantee a Celtic win either as long as the Lakers have Kobe Bryant; the Lakers bench will have one job; not let the game get out of control.

The keys for the Lakers will not be Kobe Bryant’s offense, which can usually be counted on, but his defense.  He will probably be guarding Rajon Rondo, which is a smart move because Boston’s offense runs through Rondo.  Depending on which of those two has the greater success – Bryant’s defense or Rondo’s ability to distribute and run the offense could determine the series.

Ron Artest must continue to be an offensive threat as he was in Game Six against the Suns while remaining a defensive stalwart, this time against Paul Pierce.  Gasol and Odom cannot afford to disappear at the offensive end as they did in Game Six against the Suns, and Gasol cannot play soft like he did in 2008.

Lamar Odom needs to keep contributing off the bench, and Jordan Farmar must continue to be effective in relief of Derek Fisher.  But the Lakers cannot expect just two players to hold down the fort against the entire Celtics bench, it would be nice if the Lakers could get some quality minutes from Shannon Brown.

This series is hard to predict, the Lakers are a much tougher team than they were in 2008, and the Celtics are two years older.  The talk coming from the Lakers is they wanted the Celtics to redeem themselves from the embarrassment of the 2008 NBA Finals, and the Celtics want to prove they are still the best team in the NBA despite last season.

Prediction Lakers win the series in 7 games, Kobe Bryant redeems himself, and Ron Artest’s defense proves to be the difference.