NO SHAQ, NO KOBE!...BOO HOO!

The NBA playoffs. Full of intrigue, chaos, excitement, competition, and mercifully, no more Shaq and no more Kobe!!!! Woo-Hoo!!! Personally, can't stand either one of them. Couldn't when they were playing together and can't when they're playing apart. I always say, "The only thing bigger than Shaq is Shaq'a ego!" but maybe Kobe's ego is a close second...at least he makes some effort in disguising it though...Shaq makes no such false pretense. He's an ego-maniac and he makes no bones about it. My big buddy, Mr. Tim "Big Tim" Lyons, argues with me that he's funny. I, generally, share my buddy's sense of humor (we're both pervs and often find ourselves laughing to the point of tears) but on this one we couldn't be further apart. I find Shaq to be annoying, obnoxious, and, again, so full of himself to the point of making me want to vomit. And I have to be honest...half the time he does that "talk so low and quiet in interviews that no one can barely hear me thing" that I can, indeed, barely hear him that maybe he did, indeed, at that point actually SAY something humorous, but, like I said, I couldn't hear him so I'll never know. Maybe Big Tim has super-hearing and he catches the jokes? That's the only reasonable explanation I can conjure as to our vastly differing opinions on Mr. Ego O'Neal.

And what a couple of nincompoops. Together they could have won 12 championships in L.A. but their respective egos were so HUGE they simply couldn't co-exist. Now don't get me wrong...I'm glad they got divorced from one another as I can't stand the Lakers and, of course, the two of them as individuals, so I was elated at the break-up. I'm delighted that apart they will never win as many.

I was stunned by the Mavericks early departure, but the Warriors beat them fair and square and were obviously the superior team. They outhustled the Mavs to the point of ridiculousness! The Mavs settled for 3-pointer after 3-pointer after 3-pointer! And, in case no one noticed, it was because the Warriors were SO aggressive on defense and forced the Mavs to always be out WAY past the three point line! Did you notice that?! Every time the Mavs brought the ball up they were stopped 10-12 feet beyond the arc. And then they would pass to another player who would be forced almost out to mid-court!!! Ridiculous. Great defenseive scheme by the Warriors, pitiful adjustmens made by the Mavs! NO ADJUSTMENTS MADE BY THE MAVS! And I despise Stephen Jackson and think that thug should be in a prison somewhere not on the basketball court, but I wish the best for coach Don Nelson and G.M. Chris Mullen, both good guys and well-deserving of a championship. Will they get one? I doubt it. I picked the Spurs at the beginning of the year and I'm sticking with that prediction. They are solid all-around and have the ability to play fastbreak basketball or the half-court game. And coach Popovich is the best coach in the game.

In the east? Who the hell knows. I would have to say the favorites there are the Pistons.

I'm saying Pistons and Spurs in the finals with the Spurs emerging as champs in a tight 7 game finals.

But, then again, those Phoenix Suns are looking like a well-oiled machine, aren't they?

In other news...

I've begun the process of sending out my review copies of my newest book, THE LIST! Hopefully I get some positive buzz going as I head into the big summer convention season. Early reviews indicate a concensus that this concept would make for one heckuva great movie and I can't tell you how delighted I am to hear that reaction. From the start, before I even started writing the prose, I said to Sandy that of all my ideas to date this one was the most marketable for commercial aplications...i.e. MOVIES!

If you haven't had a chance yet, check out the "sneak peek" I have posted on this very website. THE LIST is currently in the May Previews catalogue and will be shipped in July!

Word!

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