And then there is basketball. I love basketball. I've been playing it all my life and know all levels of the game very well. Especially college. But love isn't a word I would attribute to the NBA playoffs. Maybe it's because the Knicks haven't had the opportunity to join in the festivities in quite some time, but I feel it's something else.

Perhaps it's the length. Wait no, not perhaps, definitely. It's definitely the length. In case you were wondering, the Knicks ended their season on April 14th. Free agency doesn't start until July 1st. That's two and a half months of playoff basketball in between.

Does there really need to be FOUR best of SEVEN series to determine a champion? There must be a more efficient way. Now, this is the part of the post where I transition into a proposal for just such a playoff system.

Not here. I'll just continue to bitch and moan until the playoffs end and July 1st arrives. The day basketball will matter again here in New York. And it doesn't really matter who we get in free agency. The point of the past 3 years was eventual flexibility with cap room. The Knicks were so saddles with bad contracts (i.e. Francis, James, Curry), that there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. But thanks to Donnie Walsh, New York has some wiggle room. Sure, two max-contract guy would be ideal, but is it reasonable to expect it?

Hopefully, Knick fans ARE more reasonable and won't get soured when James decides to take his one-man show elsewhere.

Red Sox rally, remain undefeated against Yankees
Want a good laugh? Head on over to Nick Swishers Twitter page and take a gander at his "tweets". In addition to being unbelievably boring, Swisher remains eternally optimistic about the Yankees. Okay, I guess that's the attitude you're supposed to have, but it would be nice if he could back up any of his tweets on the field. Here is his tweet prior to the game on Wednesday:

"Let's get 'em tonight"

Hey, way to be Swish! That's the spirit! Go get 'em! That's the kind of enthusiasm I like from my team's players. Based on that tweet, I am sure Nick had a stellar game. You would think, right? But no. A horrendous base running mistake and a dropped ball in right later, Swisher was back at the keyboard typing up another enthusiastic tweet. Here's his tweet from before last night's game:

"Alright...enough is enough. Let's get this one tonight."

Hmm, not as confident as I would hope, but he is trying. He wants to make up for his blunders from the night prior. Did he? Once again, no. He got doubled-up off of second on a fly ball to left field. If he were in little league, he wouldn't even get a snow cone. Toddlers don't even make that mistake.

I think it's time for Swisher to sit out the next few plays if you know what I mean. Trust me, I love effort and determination. But not at the expense of generic baseball smarts and intuition. Boy needs to read Baseball for Dummies. But it might be too advanced for him.

Fisher nails three at end of regulation, Lakers win in OT
I mentioned a few days ago that this was one of the least interesting NBA Finals ever. I take it back. What I will say now is that it will be one of the most interesting five-game series ever. Two overtime games, a missed potential game-winning layup, some serious pushing and shoving, J.J. Redick's sudden relevance. Just riveting stuff! But there is no way the Lakers lose on Sunday at home. The Magic are going to be too broken from blowing last night's game. I mean, how does Fisher get that shot off? My guess: Magic.

Perfect life continues, Tiger Woods wins another tournament
Supermodel wife: Check. Endless talent and determination: Check. Closing in on a billion dollars in earnings: Check. Dog who poses for cameras and stares into your soul: Check. Yesterday, Tiger Woods added to his career winnings by coming from behind to beat Jim Furyk and the rest of the field in the The Memorial. That makes 67 career wins on the PGA Tour. How long until its called the Tiger Woods Tour? Because I am almost certain that Woods earns more money than the PGA itself. Hell, that dog probably earns more. Look at it, it's starting to creep me out. Moving on.

Lakers win in OT over Magic, take 2-0 series lead
Least. Interesting. Series. Ever. Well, if Courtney Lee doesn't miss that point-blank range lay-up at the end of regulation last night there would have been some interest. Rookies. I blame the mask. Nonetheless, he did not put the biscuit in the basket and the Magic find themselves in more or less a must-win situation in Game 3. I remember when I was a kid and the 2009 NBA Playoffs started. Players like Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson were in it. Those were the days. Wake me up when it's over.

Vikings give Favre deadlines to decide whether he will play in 2009
My indifference is suffocating me! Help! Someone give me something to care about!...Sweet, a video of a cat on a toilet. Thanks.

I'll be back.

Cavaliers win Game 5, Magic lead series 3-2
That headline should really read "Lebron wins Game 5". I am thinking about the game right now and I can't remember if there were any other Cavaliers on the floor last night. I thought I saw Mo Williams for a minute, but that could have been a mirage. Lebron's back must be killing him today because he carried his teammates, his coaches, and the fans to a win and made this series interesting. Look at Wally Szczerbiak in that photo, you can tell he spent more time on his hair than he did preparing for last night's game. The most he did to prepare was putting that thing on his finger that probably does nothing. If it helps him miss 3-pointers, then its doing its job. Anyway, the series will be headed back to Orlando for Game 6. Bottomline: Lebron needs another triple-double to force Game 7. I doubt Zydrunas Ill-Something or Daniel "Boobie" Gibson has a big game to take a load off James' back. Should be a fun game.

Annnndddd those are the headlines from yesterday. Really nothing else happened last night. There was a few baseball games, none of them were of consequence. Unless you consider Terry Francona, Jason Varitek, Mike Redmond, and Ron Gardenhire being tossed from the game against the Twins consequential. Oh, and Venus Williams lost some French Open match. I met her once. Nice girl. Had a small dog with her. Yeah, so that's about it. Lakers and Nuggets play today, something to look forward to.

I'll be back...

Yankees beat Twins in 10 innings off third straight walk-off
Going to the game yesterday, I wasn't expecting much. After two straight walk-off wins, there had to be a let down. They had to come back to Earth. But after the Yankees came back in the seventh to tie it, I knew they weren't going to go quietly into the late afternoon. Other than the Damon walk-off and Teixeira's diving stop at first, the key to the game was Alfredo Aceves' scoreless 10th inning. New York's bullpen has a penchant for throwing a lot of pitches, walking batters and just being terrible at times. But Aceves did what the Yankees needed in the 10th. He worked quickly, changed speeds, and threw strikes. Eleven pitches later, it was off into the bottom of the tenth. Note to the Yankees: If Chien-Ming Wang comes back and is terrible again, it's time to put Aceves back in the rotation. With a sub-3.00 ERA and durable arm, he is perfect as a fifth starter.

Magic disposes of Celtics in Game 7, onto Cleveland
I thought I was going to watch this game, but then I remembered the Survivor finale was on. I couldn't miss that. It was the final four! Taj, JT, Stephen, and Erinn. JT ended up winning the million dollars. Which was expected. What wasn't expected was the utter domination Orlando displayed on the road against the Celtics. Well, Boston cut it to 5 at the end of the third. But the fourth belonged to the Magic. Now it's off to Cleveland where Lebron James and the rest of the Cavaliers have been resting for about, checks watch, a month. There is an off chance that Orlando makes a series out of it, but it seems as if James as a win-at-all-costs attitude this year. So I wouldn't be surprised if the Cavs sweep the Magic out of the playoffs and strut into the Finals.

Look. We all know that this series was going to go seven games. Since their inception, the Celtics have been in about 1000 game sevens. But if Boston plays anything like they did tonight on Sunday, there won't be an opportunity for them to play another one. It was fun to watch them struggle and play dumb basketball for once. For forty-eight minutes they took bad shots, made bad passes and let Dwight Howard own the boards. Yet they kept it close. Keep your fingers crossed for a Magic win on Sunday. I've had it up to here (Hand at chin), with this impromptu Celtics run. It's very inconvenient. I liked it a lot better when they were tanking games down the stretch so they would have a better lottery pick.

"When exiting the bandwagon, please stand clear of the doors." Anyway, unlike yesterday's game seven, this one (as well as the Red Wings/Ducks one) was riveting. I was riveted. Versus was nice enough to put Sports Soup on hold and play the overtime period of Bruins and Hurricanes. Mike Iseman must have been pissed.

NFL considering second London regular season game for 2010
After the success of the previous two regular season games at Wembley Stadium in London, the NFL is musing on the possibility of two games in England for the 2010 season. I understand that it makes business sense to expand your brand as much as possible. To build on previous achievement and work to improve every aspect of your business. But is it necessary? The NFL is already the king of all sports in America. Is their intention to slowly but surely own the sports scene in England and eventually Europe itself? Or are they simply attempting to grab a slice of a demographic they never had before? Who knows? With the amount of cash flow the "League" has to operate with, they could team up with the Cambodian Midget Fighting League and still turn a profit.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Marketing Executive 1: How about we use him as a puppet?

Marketing Executive 2: You're like an idea machine! Get me a cigar, will ya?

They high five. Light cigars with $500 bills.

Celtics tie series 2-2 on Big Baby buzzer beater
To even think about experiencing what it would be like to be a Boston sports fan for a day is considered treason where I live. That being said, it must be nice. Really nice. As I type, both the Celtics and Bruins are legitimate contenders for their respective championships and the Red Sox are arguably the best team in Major League Baseball. Last night alone, all three teams won. Glen Davis' 18-foot jumpshot as time expired changed the complexity of their series against the Magic. Orlando was poised to take a commanding 3-1 series lead and have an opportunity to wrap things up in Boston. Now, the Celtics have a chance to take a 3-2 series advantage at home in the Garden. The Bruins, who were down 3 games to 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes, humiliated Carolina 4-0 on the stellar goaltending by Tim Thomas. Even though the Hurricanes are leading the series, it looks as if Boston has taken the momentum. Boy is it frustrating to watch every New England-based franchise contend. Not to mention having to hear it from their fans who are never shy about expressing their feelings. It's always nice to walk down the street and have Red Sox fans tell me where I can put my Yankee hat.

Without Yao, Rockets still manage to rout Lakers, series tied 2-2
If the Rockets end up winning this series and perhaps winning it all, is there a better case of addition by subtraction? McGrady: Out. Yao: Out. No problem. On the backs of their "complimentary" players, the Rockets made the Lakers look awfully pedestrian. Aaron Brooks, who is about 4 foot 11, scored a career high 34 points and caught Los Angeles napping. And if the Rockets do defeat the Lakers, it will prove once again that general managers do not have to be ex-players and that the future of player development, drafting, and overall NBA personnel should be at the hands of stat geeks and number crunchers. Daryl Morey, we salute you!

After having a big bowl of delicious Lucky Charms this morning, I have decided to write my NBA Playoffs Preview. It's something I have been mulling over ever since the Knicks were eliminated from playoff contention (about three weeks ago). From what I've heard from the talking heads, sports radio, and the blogs, is that however the playoffs themselves shake out, the inevitable finals matchup will be between the Lakers and Cavaliers. Kobe v. Lebron. The Old v. The New. Ecks v. Sever. Anyway, after watching about 1000 NBA games this season, I wouldn't argue with that premonition. And now with Garnett out for the entire postseason possibly, the Lakers and the Cavs are the most complete teams.

This doesn't bode well for my Knicks though. If Lebron wins a championship for Cleveland, there is no way he will leave after next season, maximum contract or not. Because if he leaves for the money and the "marketing leverage" in New York, he can kiss any more championships goodbye. Right now, the Knicks have a worse supporting cast for James than Cleveland does. Nate Robinson and David Lee are nice players, but on any other team they are complementary. Almost negligible. Lebron may think he could broaden his image and become a global icon in New York, but look at the age we live in today. Where you are has nothing to do with exposure anymore. Winning does. Nike knew that when they signed him to a $90 million deal when he was drafted. If he starts to hoist trophies over his head, this New York dream will be long forgotten.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat (Atlanta in 7)
Best series of the first round. Last season, the Hawks took the Celtics to game 7 in the first round of the playoffs. As exciting as that was, it resulted in nothing tangible. There was no "win" under their belt. They'll be looking to change that against the Heat. For me it boils down to who has a more cohesive starting five, with the advantage going to Atlanta. They've been through this before and with 47 wins in the regular season, they proved it was no fluke. Obviously, Dwyane Wade is the X factor. For 82 games this season, he took Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, and the rest of the team on his back and carried them to 43 wins. I would like to believe he could do it for a seven game series, but I just don't see it. With the amount of youth on that team (not to mention a first year coach who isn't necessarily good), the Hawks can just double or triple team Wade and shut them down.

Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls (Celtics in 6)
In terms of an upset in these playoffs, all directions are pointing to Chicago. An insanely talented rookie point guard who has game-takeoverability (Bilas'ism), strong play down the stretch (18-11 since the All-Star Break), savvy trades for veteran players (Brad Miller, John Salmons), and Garnett out. I could easily pick the Bulls in seven. But there is no way that the Celtics are going to roll over after losing Garnett. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will have none of that. And this pains me to type it. But it's true. Even without KG, they still can suffocate teams defensively. However, if Boston wants to have any sort of run in these playoffs, Rondo will need to play out of his mind for extended periods of time. If he does, we can see them back in the Finals.

Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Magic in 5)
Boring. This series is essentially a "wait out the clock" situation. Philadelphia matches up horribly with Orlando. And quite frankly (Stephen A.'ed), no one does. No team in the playoffs has three players like Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu. On paper, the Magic should wipe the floor with the Eastern Conference and have a preemptive date with the Lakers in the Finals. Even with 53 wins in 2008-2009 they haven't played to their potential. Especially Howard. It's scary to think that he might not yet know how big he really is. A player of his size and skill should touch the ball at least once every time down court, but that's not the case. He seems to shy away from the spotlight in crunch time. That's either unselfishness or fear. If I am the Magic, I am praying it isn't the latter.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons (Cavaliers in 4)
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
No further questions.

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets (New Orleans in 7)
As I get further and further into this preview, I realize that you don't need to know much about basketball to predict series. Very rarely is there an upset and the team that played better in the regular season often wins. It's nothing like baseball. Baseball relies heavily on which team is hot coming into the playoffs. In basketball, teams who have success on the defensive end of the ball are able to combat any sort of run from the opposing team. Ironically, that is also the reasoning to why I am predicting the Hornets to upset the Nuggets in seven games. Bottomline, Denver plays little to no defense and New Orleans is top five in the NBA in opponent scoring. Chris Paul in 2009.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks (Spurs in 6)
One last hurrah for the Spurs? I think so. The Ginobili injury took the decisive blow to their Finals hopes, but I think there is enough in the tank of Parker and Duncan to muster up at least one more series win. And if Jason Kidd guards Parker in the series, consider that prediction signed, sealed, and delivered. This season Tony Parker averaged 31.3 ppg, 7.3 APG, and 52% shooting when Kidd defended him (Thank you Bill Simmons). Also, let's go through some of Roger Mason Jr.'s game-winning shots this season: Vs. Lakers, At Clippers, At Suns, At Celtics. He is good.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz (Lakers in 5)
I can't imagine how much better the Lakers would be if they had a lick of team-cohesiveness and chemistry. It's no question that every player on Los Angeles is unbelievably talented, but they play with eachother, not for eachother. And I think they is an enormous difference. The bottomline is: They are going to be in the finals in June, but they are not going to win it. That fatal flaw will rear it's ugly head when at some point during the series, they will be down by 5 with 3 minutes left. Kobe will take ill-advised shots thinking he needs to take over, he will get frustrated with his teammates for showing lack of heart, and they will lose. It's 2008 all over again.

Portland Trailblazers vs. Houston Rockets (Trailblazers in 7)
Who doesn't want to see Portland make a playoff run? They could be the most likeable team ever. Which is a stark contrast from the "Jailblazers" era of 2000 and 2001. But honestly, look at this team. Name a player on Portland you wouldn't want to be friends with. Even Rudy Fernandez would be a riot to hang out with. Their fast, young, talented, and even nice. Not to mention, they could have the best fans in the sport. I wish I was a Trailblazer fan. It is like a party every night.