ChriSpace

Interesting trade scenario

How about getting Kevin Garnett for the Mavs? Dirk and KG together - a force to reckon with. KG mend the middle. He's also a passer and a great rebounder. But, Mavs might need to give up Dampier or JT or Stack for KG. No one really put this scenario on the block.

Watched Mavs vs. Lakers in HK

After I moved to HK, NBA games have become a rarity to me because my cable TV does not have many games aired.  I can get the HK$400/season pass which is quite cheap.  However I didn't as I don't wanna watch that many games (and I am POOR at the same time!).  So, all I get is 3 games per week.  And random games as well (like the loser Hornet vs. Clippers, duh!).  HK people don't really care about basketball...

So i was super-lucky yesterday as I got to watch Mavs. vs. Lakers.  However, why did the Mavs lose!!??!  I was so disappointed because they had their 13-game win streak coming into this game vs. Lakers.  Then, with an obvious foul to Jason Terry and a fake 3-point play by Sasha Vujacic, the Lakers escaped with a W...unbelievable.  The refs must have received $$ from the Lakers to make 2 insane mistakes at the end of this game.

Hmm, I think this blog shouldn't call NBA blog.  It's more like Mavericks blog, hahaha.

Dallas Mavericks is the current hottest team in the NBA

Can't believe after they let Steve Nash go and traded Michael Finley away two years ago, they become the team with the highest win-percentage stepping into Year 2007.  They have the young legs in Josh Howard and Devin Harris to run the backcourt, which gives them a lot of energy and spark for a potent offense.  They've the more and more consistent plays from Erick Dampier, which is traded from Golden State.  While Dampier was in Warriors, his inconsistent plays are his major weakness.  Who will have imagined he is now a major component of a championship-caliber Mavericks team which lead the team in blocks and sometimes rebounds?

Of course there is the killer instinct of Jason Terry, which cannot be compared with Steve Nash's passing skills at all.  But his daggers during late games are cold-blooded and any great teams will need a guy like this to win at tight games.  6th man Jerry Stackhouse always give a spark to the team when he got off the bench.  Then, the 7-foot captain Dirk Nowitzki concludes the excellent team of Dallas.  His silky-smooth jumpshots, his unguardable 3-pointers, his solid rebounds, and his increasingly potent passing skills all make this team better and better.

No excuse not to be the NBA Championship this year :)

The Mavericks will reach the Finals again

"It's tough to come back the next year because the season before is so long," said Bryant, a veteran of four Finals. "At the beginning of the season, there's going to be some rough patches. All in all, [the Mavericks] are doing well. They'll be there in the end again. They have great versatility."

This was what Kobe Bryant said about the Mavericks.

I can't believe it.  The arrogant Kobe has changed!  But that doesn't mean I like him a bit.  Thanks Kobe for predicting the Mavs will defeat everyone in the Western Conference (including Lakers) and reaches the Finals again.

Long time no watch!

One of the best things about World Cup 2006 for me is that I can watch the games with others.  So, I do have i-cable at my flat and I get all 64 games of world cup.  Some air at 9pm, some at mid-night, some at 3am.  But when weekend comes, it's great to be able to join others to watch at homes, at restaurants, at malls etc.  Just to feel that world cup crowd effect!

Most exciting game: Germany 4:2 Costa Rica.   I watched the entire opening match and it was such a great game with many goals back and forth.

Most surprising game: Japan 1:3 Australia.  You thought Japan's lucky goal would seal their victory.  But 3 goals by the Australians during the final minutes changed all that.

Most overrated team: England.  They won 1:0 against Paraguay.  But the goal was an error made by the opposing team.  And England couldn't make a goal with their own efforts.

Most disappointing lost: USA 0:3 Czech.  No love with the Americans losing.  Such a big nation with talented atheletes and couldn't even make a dent to the Czech's defense!?  Sucks!

Tough Dirk gets the job done

photo courtesy of espn.com

The Mavs got an important 1-point win over the Spurs today and up 2-1 heading to game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Semi-Finals.  I am pretty excited about their win.  It shows how tough the Mavs are, especially Dirk Nowitzki.  At the final moment of the game, Dirk rolled his ankle, drew the foul on the Spurs' best player Duncan, Duncan got ejected, Dirk sank two clutch free throws and sealed the game.  These Mavs have matured a lot and is no longer a team always getting pushed over.

Dirk is my hero.  His mental toughness reminds me that life sometimes is rough.  But if we tough it out and hang on great things will come our way.

British football revisited

It has been so long since I last watched a full soccer match.  Today there was an exciting match between Manchester United vs. Chelsea of the English Premier League.  If either team wins, that team will be the champion of this year.  Manchester was a heavy favorite before this match.  Ended up Manchester losing 0 - 3 to Chelsea.  What a surprise result.  Manchester players looked tired and sluggish.  They couldn't accurately pass the ball to other players.  Then, after losing 0 - 1, their morale were low and let Chelsea got 2 more goals with their porous defense.

It's a good soccer match with a lot of nice shot attempts and actual goals.  Chelsea played a beautiful match with team work.  They deserve to win.

Dallas for Champ; Dirk for MVP

It is that time of the year again - basketball fans around the world busy following who will win it all in this year's NBA 2006 Playoffs.  I am glad to be able to watch a few games on TV, although the games televised quite early in the morning.

Dallas took Game 1 from the Memphis Grizzlies, which is such a breather since the Mavs lose their opener at home the last two years.  I watched the entire game this morning from start to finish.  I must admit that the Chinese commentators are not very knowledgeable.  And to hear the Chinese names of the NBA players is just plain weird ;) 

A solid victory of 103-93 behind Dirk Nowitzki's 31point-11rebounds.  I just love watching the 7-foot German shooting the basketball at a brisk pace.  Together with the Dallas supporting cast, I believe they can go deep into the playoffs and take San Antonio very far if they meet up in the conference semi-finals.

It was a pity the last few years Mavericks did not have enough to get the championship.  I think this year's group is the best and I really hope they will win it all.  With their new-found defense and with most players healthy, they have a very good shot.

photo courtesy of espn.com

Mavs lost by 2

Stupid Keith Van Horn threw the ball out when there was 1 minute left, when he can shoot an open 3 and make it 1-up.  Instead it was a turnover and gave the Spurs an even bigger gap which led to their victory.

Argh!!!!!!!!!

High scoring games

The Dallas Mavericks is going to meet up with the Phoenix Suns tonight in a matchup of two very high-scoring NBA teams.  It will start tonight and games will continue throughout the week.  I cannot wait for this series as:

1. Nowitzki and Nash are former teammates and buddies.  It will be interesting to see how they respond to each other.

2. Nash just being named MVP.  I think he is going to be extra motivated to prove himself as the Most Valuable Player in the league.

3. A guaranteed high-scoring series.  I love teams keep putting ball into the basket versus the ball always bounces off the rim.  Players in both teams are very capable scorers and they shoot very well.  Dallas has Terry, Finley, Howard, Stackhouse, Nowitzki.  Phoenix has Nash, Stoudamire, Marion, Jim Jackson, Joe Johnson, and Richardson.  It is going to be an up-and-down game with people running around shooting 3-pointers.

This is definitely a series any real basketball fans can't miss!