And Then There Were Four

Well I, along with the rest of the city of Los Angeles can breathe a sigh of relief now that the Lakers avoided one of the biggest upsets in NBA Playoff history. The Lake Show defeated the pesky Houston Rockets 89-70, and won the best of seven series 4-3. The Lakers are now in the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row, and will play the Denver Nuggets for the rights to advance to the NBA Finals. 

The Lakers got off to the start they hoped for in Game 7, as they led 22-12 early in the first quarter and never looked back. Pau Gasol dominated on both ends of the court, as he led LA with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Andrew Bynum was very impressive as well, scoring 14 points, grabbing six rebounds, and making his defensive presence felt. Kobe Bryant didn't even play that well, yet the Lakers still dominated and silenced doubters. I can only wish the Lakers play the way they did today in every game in the Western Conference Finals and avoid the unnecessary drama of a Game 7.

Houston deserves a lot of credit for their valiant efforts in this series. They have a great future with guys like Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and Shane Battier. Maybe they can hope Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady get hurt again, because they seem to play better when both of those players aren't on the court. 

The Nuggets-Lakers series should be very entertaining. I think the Nuggets are a better matchup for the Lakers then the Rockets were, and if the Lakers play the way they did today throughout the entire series, I think the Lakers will win easily. 

The Boston Celtics are finished!!! The Celtics lost Game 7 of their series to the Orlando Magic. Not only are the Celtics eliminated from the playoffs, but they are probably done winning championships for quite some time. The big three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce will be one year older next year, and LeBron James and Dwight Howard are emerging as the top two players on the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. For me, there really is nothing better than seeing Boston sports teams fail. I hate the Celtics, the Red Sox, and the Patriots, so any misery they and their fans suffer is my joy and pleasure. 

Getting back to the Eastern Conference, Dwight Howard and LeBron James will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off. I can see this series going to either team, but Cleveland is playing so well that it's hard for me to pick against them. Besides, the NBA wants a LeBron vs Kobe finals matchup, so they will probably do everything in their power to make sure it happens.

Manny who? The Dodgers are doing just fine without their star slugger, as the Blue Crew have won four out of their last six games, and have won two series on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins. The Dodgers have a 26-13 record, which is currently the best in the MLB. 

Tomorrow night is a big night in television. We have the two hour season finale of 24, plus WWE Monday Night Raw. Judgement Day was decent, but not great. Luckily for me I got to watch it for free online instead of dropping 60 dollars on Pay-Per-View. The season finale of Survivor was excellent, and to no surprise J.T., the hick from Alabama ended up winning.

Tomorrow's forecast in Agoura Hills: Sunny with a high of 90.