5 Reasons the NBA Playoffs Are Delightful

Apologies if you saw the beginning of this last night – I’m still not sure how touching a post marked “local draft” in the WordPress app made it publish, but here’s the full version.

We have been watching a LOT of NBA Playoffs at my house. It started because we were checking on the Knicks and the Thunder (uh, and the Nets- we have a lot of basketball allegiances) and yet “hey is a game on tonight?” has become a common refrain.  There’s just so many things I find delightful this year. Here are five of them.

Great Eight: The Memphis Grizzlies

If a miracle 3 pointer hadn’t saved the Spurs last night, this post would have been a celebration of the Memphis Grizzlies unlikely domination of the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Not only have 8 seeds won NBA playoff series only two previous times in history, the Grizzlies, in both their Memphis and Vancouver incarnations, had never won a playoff game before this series.

So it’s now 3-2, and still possible the Spurs (being the Spurs) could pull off two more wins and restore numerical sanity to the playoffs.  Regardless, Memphis has been entertaining to watch … and not too shabby in still pictures, either! Perfect for trying out our new gallery capabilities.

Hit and Run: 100% Vuvuzela Free

I know, we haven’t gotten to group H yet, but I’m a little pressed for time and there’s been lots going on in the sports world this week. (Also, I tend to get really distracted while doing the research for World Cup preview posts.  I can’t imagine why.)  So consider these reaction shots of yesterday’s shocking Swiss upset of Spain a preview of what’s coming soon:

The NBA Playoffs of Hotness – WINNER

And the winner of the 2010 Ladies…NBA Playoffs of Hotness is….

(suspense building by having to click on another link….)

The NBA Playoffs of Hotness – FINALS

That’s right, get pumped!! Even though neither of these lovely men are in the actual NBA finals, they are your finalists in the 1st Annual Ladies…NBA Playoffs of Hotness! Vote wisely – winner will be announced next Monday, so voting ends Sunday night at midnight!

The NBA Playoffs of Hotness – Semifinals

Apologies on my tardiness – I too was somewhat stuck in the haze that is the holiday weekend. Plus I realized that I might be rushing this a bit, given that Game 1 of the actual finals isn’t even until tomorrow. On that note, I’m going to slow this down a bit and give everyone a much longer chance to cast their votes on the semifinals. Take a look, think hard, and vote away!

The NBA Playoffs of Hotness – Round 2

Thank you to everyone who voted in Round 1 of the 1st annual Ladies… NBA Playoffs of Hotness!  Click that happy blue link just below here to see the brackets and vote on Round 2!

The NBA Playoffs of Hotness – Round 1

As promised last Monday (and thanks to everyone who left suggestions!), it is time for the NBA Playoffs of Hotness to begin! Cast your votes for Round 1 until this Thursday at 8am – Round 2 will be posted by noon!

The NBA Playoffs of Hotness!

Recently, we here at Ladies… got to thinking: there are all of these playoffs, finals, big events, championships, etc. going on, especially this time of year. And while it’s important to recognize achievements of the best team and watch them fight to the finish, we think it’s also important to give special appreciation to the hottest of the hot.  But fear not; this will not be my own personal list of who I think is the hottest, nor will it be a combination of who the Ladies… think deserves the Larry O’Brien for being sexy.  We want YOU, dear readers, to tell us who you think should be crowned the hottest man in the NBA!

Hit and Run: A weekend of bananas!

Ok, well perhaps not LITERALLY. But c’mon, anyone that watched really any sport (including boxing) knows that this weekend was off-the-charts-bananas! Franchise record with a no-hitter, 20 inning scoreless standoff, NHL and NBA playoffs, drunk drivers…
Here’s a Hit & Run recap of the weekend’s events after the jump.

In Which We Get Around to Congratulating the Lakers, Finally

Undoubtedly you’ve noticed that us current Ladies are not the biggest NBA fans in the world, given the number of Stanley Cup related posts vs. NBA finals posts over the last week.  Of course in some ways the Stanley Cup was considerably more exciting than “The” Finals (and why can’t they come up with a catchy name? “The Finals” is so …bland).  And the Lakers won again.  Doesn’t it seem like the Lakers always win?  I knew, in the back of my head, that they hadn’t won in some time, but it took me by surprise to realize there were seven years between Kobe’s third and fourth title.

The Weekend Of Great Disappointment

I suppose if you’re a Red Wings, Magic, Lakers, or Serena Williams fan, then it really wasn’t a disappointment of a weekend at all. But over all, this weekend seemed to be filled with disappointment from all over the world of sports – from a 25 inning game 1 showdown to missing the mark in the NBA finals.

Hit and Run: There is Still Hope in Cleveland Today

Things got a little scary for Cleveland this week. Their series against the Magic took an ugly turn when they fell 3 games to 1. The Nuggets gave the Lakers a run for their money but with a 3-2 lead, it looks like LA will find themselves in the finals once again. It is déjà-vu all over again for the Stanley Cup Finals as the Penguins and Red Wings face off for the second time in as many years. And amidst all the playoff fun this week, there was some baseball thrown in there as well.

In 50 words: Sunday stuff

After this paragraph, I’ve got just 50 words to fill you in on the big sports stories from Sunday. For the record, I’ll count a game’s score as one word (so “2-1″ is one word). Since there are lots of photos, I made them small, but you can click each photo to see the full-size version. Here we go!
Throat slashed, Wings win.

Hit and Run: Now With More Pinstripes

Oh, come on now. This is my first ever Ladies… post! Cut me some slack and let me write about my Yankees! I promise next week, one of us will be showing some Pedroia love. It just won’t be me.

Belated NBA Playoff, Uh, Preview?

So ... that happened. Yesterday. Oops.

So was anyone else completely surprised that the NBA playoffs started this weekend?  I know they are basically on the same schedule as the NHL and yet finding Lakers-Jazz Game 1 on my TV caught me totally off guard.  I think it’s because in April I’ve still got a bit of a March Madness hangover and what little bit of basketball news I can process gets obscured by the part of my brain screaming “BASEBALL!!!”

Best Sporting Dates

I went to my best friend’s wedding this weekend.  During the 8-hour drive back, I started thinking about what were some of the Best Sporting Timeframes.  With no further ado, here are my choices.  Feel free to argue with me in the comments.

Yay Giants!

Best Sporting Day
1.  The Super Bowl. You get together with your friends, eat good food, drink a lot, gamble on the game and laugh at the commercials.  The game is secondary.  And every once in awhile you get a year like this past one where the game lives up to the hype.  Awesome.

2.  Opening Day. Baseball begins.  The smell of spring, the crack of the bat, the sun shining on a beautiful April day.  Perfection.

3. January 1st. Hangover from the night before, wall-to-wall college football, in games that usually feature good teams, and generally good food and more alcohol when you’re recovered (or maybe you’re lucky enough to wake up drunk).

The Only Finals Preview You Need (Also Christina’s): Lakers Edition

The NBA’s most storied franchises, the Celtics and the Lakers, have met nine times in its Finals. Between the two, they hold twenty-nine of the league’s sixty championships, and one or both have been there 39 of its sixty years. As I learned at Basketbawful, home of great basketball analysis, eighteen of the league’s official Top 50 players of all time are from these two teams. Where do this year’s teams place in the pantheon of great Celtics and Lakers teams of the fifties, sixties and eighties? By extension, how does this year’s Finals match up with those of the past, and how do today’s player’s?

I think the most important question to ask, though, is this: who cares? We’re all about the here and now, people, and tonight there are talented hotties playing basketball.

NBA Finals Preview Part 1: The Celtics

The NBA Finals are here! After weeks of triumph (yay Hornets!) and disappointment (I miss my Chris Paul) it has finally been whittled down to 2 teams, in a showdown which is probably best described as David Stern’s ultimate wet dream. The Boston Celtics will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a best of 7 series. NBA history, replaying itself during primetime (and in HD!). The NBA, IT MATTERS PEOPLE! This has been a crazy season from beginning to end. KG to the Celtics. Shaq to the Suns. Kobe not going anywhere (and finally stopping the whining which I had thought would be incessant). But for me, the Celtics have been the most compelling story this season (other than the Hornets, but we’re talking the Finals here and sadly my Chris Paul did not make it). A one season turn-around of unprecedented proportions. The acquisition of veteran talent which has put the Celtics back on the basketball map. So here is a run-down of how they got here and how I think they’ll fare in the end (hint: it’s not good). Join me, wont you?

DON’T LEAVE ME!

Last night was a sad night in basketball and today is my mourning/hangover period. Stupid San Antonio. Stupid defending champs. Stupid Manu Ginobili! (I irrationally dislike him. It’s mostly the name I think.) Now it’s time to face reality. He’s gone. I can’t believe he’s gone. How will I watch the rest of the NBA season without his smile? His speed? His almighty awesomeness? Chris Paul, I mourn the loss of thee on my television set.

Hit and Run: NBA Playoffs and Crush Update

As much as I love basketball, I’m ready for the playoffs to stop being the playoffs and start being the NBA Finals. It’s time for some of these teams to get on with their off-seasons already (ahem Utah, Cleveland, Orlando, SAN ANTONIO). As much as I will loathe this paragraph in the barren basketball-less months to come, let’s get it moving people!

Celtics v. Cavaliers (2-2)

It looks like the Celtics are trying to be the team that wins it all but makes it look way harder than it should. On paper and in reality the Celtics should be beating the Cavaliers handily, or only losing in close games because LeBron goes off for 40 points or something. But they aren’t. The Hawks took them to a game 7, and it looks like the Cavaliers are on the way to doing the same. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Celtics will pull it out in the end, but it will be IN THE END. I feel like their motto has become, why win in 4 what we can in 7? This is in direct conflict with my motto for the series, which is “WHY THE HECK CAN’T YOU JUST FINISH OFF LESSER TEAMS IN AN APPROPRIATELY LOW NUMBER OF GAMES??”

Chris Paul Does Not Sleep. He Waits.

Chris Paul knows the singular of “thumbs up”.

So much I’ve missed to talk about in the last couple of weeks of the NBA playoffs. There was the Hawks…and then there wasn’t the Hawks. There were all the teams that lost, there was Steve breaking my heart again, there was an award for Kobe (and not an award for Al). There were sweeps, a seven game series, and the emasculation of LeBron, if only for a game. There was validation; there was utter wrongness. And, of course, there was Chris Paul.

Chris Paul is, at twenty-two, what Steve took thirty years to reach. He is elite. He is amazing. He had the best statistical season (according to PER) of anyone in NBA history except Michael Jordan: he is the GOATEFMJ. He deserves in-depth contemplation and analysis, which is why I’m not going to analyze a thing…except for cute/funny pictures of him, of course.