Weekend Preview

The Los Angeles Lakers will try to finish off the Denver Thuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow. Should the Lakers win, they will become back-to-back Western Conference Champions and advance to the NBA Finals for the second straight year. The Lake Show is coming off of an impressive 103-94 victory in Game 5, a game in which Lamar Odom redeemed himself from his dismal Game 4 performance by scoring 19 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and adding four blocks. Game 6 will be in Denver, with tip off scheduled at 6:00 p.m.

By the way if your wondering why I'm referring to the Denver Nuggets as the "Thuggets", then take a close look at the players on the team. I really want to know how much money has gone to all of their tattoos, it's crazy. I mean the guys on Denver have tattoos everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. If I didn't know any better, I would think Denver is a team full of ex-convicts.

Getting back to basketball, the Lakers were in the exact situation in the Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets as they are now. They had a 3-2 series lead, and had to play Game 6 on the road. Instead of finishing off the Rockets, the Lakers came out and played one of their worst games of the year. I really hope things are different this time, although beating the Thuggets in Denver is going to be very tough. I'd like to have some confidence in the Lakers, but they are just so inconsistent that I really can't see them winning tomorrow's game. The one scenario in which I can see the Lakers winning is if Kobe Bryant dominates the game, and the Lakers play exactly the way they played in Game 5. The problem is the Lakers won't be getting all the calls from the referees that they got in Game 5, and bench players normally play better at home, which is bad news for the Lakers. I'm expecting Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith, and Chris "Birdman" Andersen all to have huge games. Ultimately I see Denver winning this game and forcing a Game 7. But hey, I thought the Lakers were going to lose Game 5, so what do I know?

The Cleveland Cavaliers kept their season alive, as they beat the Orlando Magic 112-102 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic now lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 being played in Orlando on Saturday night. LeBron James had a phenomenal Game 5, scoring 37 points, while adding 14 rebounds and 12 assists. I trust that Orlando will hold on to win this series, but in the back of my mind I can't help but to think that LeBron will somehow lead Cleveland back from a 3-1 deficit and pull off one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history. I really hope that doesn't happen since I don't like seeing LeBron win, yet for the Lakers sake, it may be better if they play Cleveland and not Orlando. Who knows, all I can say is both of the Conference Finals have been absolutely spectacular, and I'm hoping for the best with the Lakers.

So how about them Dodgers? I'm so preoccupied with the Lakers that I can't fully enjoy the fact that my baseball team is absolutely dominating right now. The Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 today, as the Blue Crew improved their record to 34-15, which is best in the MLB. The Dodgers have a 4-game winning streak, and have three games left with the Cubbies before returning to Chavez Ravine next week for a  9-game home stand. Tomorrow's game in The Windy City is scheduled to start at 11:20 a.m., and Chad Billingsly will be on the mound for the Dodgers as he will attempt to win his seventh game of the season.