Here Come The Rockets

The way the Houston Rockets and their fans were celebrating tonight, you would have thought they had just won the NBA Championship. The Toyota Center was in a state of pandemonium after the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 92-76. Confetti was flying, and players were on top of the media tables pumping up the raucous capacity crowd, which then began the chants of "Beat LA". With the win, the Rockets won the best of seven series 4-2 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Rocket fans will get what they wish, which is the honor of facing the top-seeded Lakers starting Monday night in Los Angeles. 

If the regular season was any indication of how this series will play out, then expect the series to be short. The Lakers won all four games, and their average margin of victory was 13 points. In addition, the Lakers forced an average of 19 turnovers in the four games. I'll have a preview of all the second round matchups once they are official, but my prediction right off the bat is that the Lakers will win this series in five or six games.

I can't help but to laugh at the fact that the one year Tracy McGrady is not playing in the playoffs, his team advances to the second round. For those of you who may not know, T-Mac has never gotten out of the first round of the playoffs in the seven times he has been in the postseason. T-Mac had season-ending surgery on his knee in February which was an injury that the Rockets are probably thankful for now. I do feel bad for the guy, I mean he's been criticized his whole career for never getting out of the first round, and then the ONE year he can't play, his team advances. 

Ron Artest is officially the biggest idiot in the NBA. He has said several times now that Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers is the best player he has ever faced. What's wrong with that statement? Hmmm, well maybe the fact that Artest has faced LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, all of whom are players that I would guess are just a bit better than Roy. I know Kobe Bryant will not use Artest's statement as motivation to put on a clinic, but I can only hope that Kobe makes Artest look like the retard he is for making such a stupid statement. 

The Boston Celtics-Chicago Bulls series is the best non-finals series I have ever seen. The Bulls won in triple overtime tonight, forcing a Game 7 which will be in Boston Saturday night. Four out of the six games in the series have gone to overtime. I hope the Bulls can pull off the upset, but I have a feeling Boston will win, and it won't be close.

 

Monday and Tuesday are my last days of classes, and then I start finals. Tomorrow's forecast in Phoenix: Sunny with a high of 95. And now I'm off to the midnight showing of X-Men.