http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson An NBA basketball blog Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:54:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This trade just came from out of nowhere. I am shocked, but Joe Dumars has proven on a consistent basis that he can see things a little ahead of most general managers. The only hole on Dumars' resume is not drafting Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade instead of Darko Milicic. ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/11/05/jury-is-out-on-iverson-trade/ A new NBA season is upon us and we have no idea who will win the championship. There's a reason why... We have an abundance of teams that are more than qualified – like the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, Jazz, Rockets, Mavericks and Suns in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/10/28/the-top-25/ The Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers all made moves the last week involving free agency. The winner in a landslide if Elton Brand stays healthy will be the 76ers. The Clippers went from possibly becoming a big-time player again in the Pacific Division to assuming their ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/07/11/philly-moves-to-the-front/ Hunger and home grown toughness The Celtics are probably the only team in the NBA with not one foreign import on their roster. OK, what does that mean?  Well, in this instance, especially judging by how the Celtics just manhandled the Lakers, I would say hunger, pride and toughness. This Celtic ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/18/why-the-celtics-won/ Why the Lakers won Game 5? Here's why... Lakers showed off their Big Three Finally the Lakers got production from Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol in unison. They were outscored 67 to 64, but it was close enough to make a role players' game and the Lakers won the battle ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/16/thoughts-on-game-5/ Why Boston won Game 4? Focus and desire The Celtics refused to lose Game 4 and a ton of credit goes to Doc Rivers. He remained positive throughout and did not panic. His smooth demeanor in the face of a huge deficit gave his team a base to build up from. And ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/13/thoughts-on-game-4/ Why did the Lakers win Game 3? Lakers shut down two of the Big Three Defense played a big part in the Lakers' Game 3 win. I have said all along that if the Lakers could negate one of the Big Three, they would have success. Well, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/11/thoughts-on-game-3/ Why did Boston go up 2-0 in the series? Here are the keys... Celtics hold the Lakers to 61 points in first three quarters The Celtics are playing lock-down defense on every player in a Lakers uniform. I thought going into this series that the pressure perimeter defense would work against the ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/09/thoughts-on-game-2/ Why did Boston win Game 1? Here are the keys... Celtics' Big Three scored 65 points and Kobe shoots 9 for 26 When the Celtics' Big three is scoring as a group it will be difficult for the Lakers to win one game. The Lakers had Paul Pierce under control until he ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/06/thoughts-on-game-1/ The Finals are here and the league could not be happier. The Celtics vs. Lakers series brings back so many memories of the best era of basketball. Bird against Magic, Kareem battling Parish, McHale fighting the athleticism of James Worthy, Michael Cooper showing what defense is all about, Dennis Johnson ... http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2008/06/02/six-reasons-will-reveal-finals-winner/