It wasn’t exactly Willis Reed coming back in Game seven of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Lakers, but Paul Pierce made a historic return of his own in the third quarter of Game one of the 2008 NBA Finals, and he was the catalyst for a run that propelled the Celtics to a 98-88 victory.

After being carried off the court in obvious pain with 6:49 left in the third, Pierce triumphantly returned to the court just minutes later to a standing ovation. Pierce’s return was an emotional lift for the Celtics, and Pierce proceeded to ignite the team by scoring 12 points in the quarter. The Celtics outscored the Lakers 31-22 in the third, and never looked back.

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You asked for it, you got it.

In what is one of the most anticipated NBA finals in recent memory, the Boston Celtics, the top seed in the East, will face the Los Angeles Lakers, the top-seed in the West. These teams have faced off in the NBA Finals 10 previous times, the most recent coming in 1987. The history between these two teams is a big reason for the all the hype, but the current players re-igniting the rivalry are the real intrigue.

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Boston fans can finally stop holding their collective breath because in Game five of the Eastern Conference Finals, the third member of its Big Three finally acted like it.

Ray Allen, who hadn’t been able to find his shooting touch this postseason, busted out of his slump by pouring in 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He led Boston to a 106-102 victory, and a 3-2 series lead. Allen also went 5-for-6 from the three-point line. Prior to this game, he had been 3-for-14 from behind the arc against Detroit.
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After 12 seasons, three championships, over 20,000 career points, two scoring titles and 10 All-Star appearances, Kobe Bryant finally got the the piece of hardware he has long deserved - league MVP.

In my mind, Bryant has been the NBA’s best player for years, and it’s about time he got the recognition he deserves. Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals, while leading the Lakers to a 57-25 record and No. 1 seed in the West. Only LeBron James, who finished fourth in the MVP voting, had a higher scoring average than Bryant this season.

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Something tells me the Celtics were paying attention as the Spurs dismantled the Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals. Boston bodied up LeBron James, crowded the lane, and forced James to make plays on the perimeter. The results spoke for themselves on Tuesday night, as James hit 2-of-18 field goals and committed 10 turnovers, and Boston won an ugly Game 1, 76-72.

James and Boston’s Paul Pierce were assigned to guard one another, and their added defensive work showed in both of their stat lines. Pierce connected on 2-of-14 field goals in scoring four points and committing six turnovers. The only superstar to do his usual work was forward Kevin Garnett, who was a matchup nightmare for Cleveland and finished with 28 points and eight rebounds. Ray Allen was held scoreless and attempted just four shots in 37 minutes. Read more »

The Orlando Magic had plenty to be upset about on Monday night. They had just crawled back into the game - a 100-93 loss in Detroit - and were about to take a lead into the fourth quarter when a clock malfunction allowed the Detroit Pistons to sink a dagger 3. And to make matters worse, Orlando’s flight out of Detroit on Monday night was forced to land in Cincinnati because of mechanical issues.

But, while the stars are apparently aligning in Detroit’s favor, the Magic could also place some blame on themselves for two bad road losses. A red-hot third quarter on Monday aside, Orlando trudged through two full games on the Pistons’ homecourt and dug themselves a 14-point hole in the first half of Game 2. Read more »

It is just a popularity contest isn’t it?

In a move that shocked nobody, but maybe left some people scratching their heads, Kevin Durant was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

Sure, Durant shined in his first year in Seattle, and it’s obvious that he will develop into a bonafide stud in years to come - but the league’s top rookie? He may have gotten more endorsements, sold more jerseys, and gotten more time on SportsCenter than any other rookie, but that’s because he was in the position to do more. Read more »

Another year, another new team to coach for Larry Brown.

On Tuesday, Brown was introduced as the Charlotte Bobcats’ new head coach, the ninth NBA team he will lead. The Hall of Famer will look to improve on his last go-around in the league, a horrendous 23-59 season with the New York Knicks two years ago. Thankfully, this time should be different.

Michael Jordan, the Bobcats’ Managing Member of Basketball Operations and a part-owner of the team, was the man that hired Brown. When Jordan was in the Washington Wizards’ front office, he tried to hire Brown to the same position but failed to do so. After a year as an executive vice president in the Philadelphia 76ers’ organization, Brown accepted Jordan’s second offer to coach his team. Read more »

One of the things we have learned from the NBA playoffs is that solid point guard play is vital for success. A point guard does not have to do anything special for his team to win, just manage the game. However, there are some point guards who are capable of taking over a game. Two players in particular have been doing it for years, but now it appears that two young guns are primed to take their spots as the elite NBA point guards. Read more »

There was a time when walking into Madison Square Garden for a Knicks game felt like legitimate basketball, and not the Barnum and Bailey circus that comes to the Garden in the offseason.

Between Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury alone – dare I call them the Ringling Bros. – the team has become the laughing stock of the league. The season started with an embarrassing sexual harassment trial where the team’s head coach and president was the defendant, and with a series of bizarre (to be polite) interviews from Marbury. Read more »