Drive for 5 Complete and Sweet 16 in the bag!!!

Hey ya'll it's the LOVELY Sportsgal89 In the Building. I know that this is looooong overdue, but please be happy that your girl is giving it to you at all :D
So at the end of my last blog, I gave my predictions that Game 7 was going to be a tough and intense battle, but that of course, your girl had faith that the Drive for 5 would be completed at the end of this series. We had all the advantages. We were at home,we just won a GREAT! game during game 6. It would be by our own stupidity if we didn't take an opportunity to win this.
But I didn't say it was going to be easy. I can only fill you in on my notes from the first quarter, because by the second quarter and up until the final buzzer I was at the edge of my seat and utilizing my Twitter and FB like it was no body's business. So my apologies, however I do have the Game 7 mini-movie brought to you by NBA.com.
So here are my first quarter notes:
In the opening of the game, they roll sound clips and recap the series. One of those sound bites, had me up in arms!!! Doc Rivers spoke to his team before the game started and said" When the team has their 20 year reunion let's make sure our rings touch!," Doc Rivers, I love your coaching style, but not in the LAKER house!!
Lakers were dominate off the glass, Gasol was a big player with offensive rebounds. I noted Bynum being a key player as well and the strong center that we needed. It's crazy to think that in 2008 we didn't get to play with him and what a difference he really is on the court. I just hope he gets his knee figured out,because if this is how he plays injured, I don't want to see how he plays healthy- BEASTMODE!!!
I did make a point to give Rasheed Wallace a little bit of grace, because he really stepped up now that Perkins was out from a torn set of ligaments during the start of Game 6.
At one point and I am sorry that my notes aren't that much better I did mention that the Lakers missing free throws was killing us.
Ultimately, this game was won due to a team effort. Kobe wasn't making all if any shots. It was hard for him to find his rhythm for most of the game, but that didn't mean that the didn't utilize his strength in other areas. He stepped up on rebounds when he could.
Ron Artest and Pau Gasol were definitely our key players during this game. And it did come to an all out battle towards the end. But why take my word for it, watch the mini-movie and see for yourself.



NEED I say more! All I can say is the Drive for 5 is complete, Our Sweet 16 is looking ever so lucious! I'm thinking we have a 3-peat on our hands. As long as the bodies from both our players and our coaches (hmm) keep them at top level. Well more details on that later.

And the Drive for 5 continues....

Hey ya'll its your fav sports blogger, SportsGal89 In the Building! Welcome to another fabulous edition of my life as a sports fan!!!
Ah victory is sweet! Can you already sense the direction of this blog. Well if you haven't guessed the NBA Finals continues! What does that mean? With a valiant effort and a great strategy on both sides of the ball, the Lakers dominated the court last night to tie the series up 3-3 and force a Game 7! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?! And the best, Lamar was right, the team needed to play like a team and they did it.
Watching that game hurt as a fan because as I mentioned I like to see a challenge, but all I can say is victory is SWEET and it felt so good to be able to watch my team really stick it to the FAILTICS! Especially after all of the disappointment that came from Game 5..
Where to start, where to start. Normally I take notes during the game, but this was such a one sided show, that I couldn't even take notes. Let me just link you up to my FB updates throughout the game for starters and then we can keep it moving to the major highlights!
The Lakers and the Laker Fans energy was incredible from start to finish. There was no way that the Celtics were going to take a win last night. Like I mentioned in the last blog, going home and having that advantage definitely was a much needed refresher for the boys in purple and gold. I myself had to mentally prepare for this game. I went on a 45 minute run showered and then headed out to watch the game at my friend Eric's house. Needless to say I missed the opening minutes as I made my way up the hill from the house I am staying. But when I got to Eric's house it was fabulous to see the score at 23-18 in the first quarter! I was like okay, wow, nice opening. What's going to happen next.
Some chit chatting took me away from the game, but not long enough before I got to see some serious changes by the team. Artest was being much more aggressive as were many of the starters. The team headed up by Gasol and Odom were really coming alive on both defensive and offensive rebounds. It was beautiful!
So here are my FB feeds:
9:04 as the game begins: "Game time baby! All or nothing in this DRIVE FOR 5!!!"
9:49 Definitely the second quarter and I think this is the moment where we really started to pull away from the Celtics with a strong lead: "Yay!!!!! LA! LA! LA!LA!!!"
9:56 Our Bench stepped up scoring 24 points to I think a Celtics Bench 3pts : "Jordan Farmar is so Saucey!!! did you see that?! OMG!!!"



10:00 The end of the first half: "I like the way THEY do it(50 voice!) Strong half! LOVE IT!!!"
10:35 The beginning of the third quarter, the Celtics were beginning to chip at our lead. Well I mean they scored 2 pts, but we hadn't been able to get off a shot: "Lakers, settle down!!!! Play the game and play smart..."
10:46 I think this says it all. But off of a turnover, Shannon Brown was dished a sweet pass, and with no really defenders he took it all the way downtown like only he could do: "He's cute and he can dunk! SHANNON BROWN!!!!"





11:00pm Kobe gets a break and is taken out of the game, I believe by now we had a 25 point lead. A record total for this whole series: "MVP!!!! Standing O!!!!" - Side bar Van Gundy said it, "if the Celtics some how win this game, Kobe definitely deserves the series MVP!" HECK YES, but the Celtics didn't win, so on to the next one (Swizz Beatz voice)

And here is one of the reasons why I think Kobe is one of the best players in the league:

11:30pm GAME OVER LAKERS WON AND PUSHED A GAME 7: "Game 7 Baby!!!! All or nothing!!! DRIVE FOR 5!!!"

Now for some stats, some highlights and my predictions for Game 7


LAKERS:
*** Starters***

R. Artest 15pts, 6reb, 0ast
P. Gasol 17pts, 13reb, 9ast
A. Bynum 2pts, 4reb, 0ast
K. Bryant 26pts, 11reb, 3ast
D. Fisher 4pts, 2reb, 0ast

*** Bench***
So there are 3 other players that come off the bench. But to be honest minus to a degree Vujacic at times, only Brown, Odom and Farmar really step up each game and fight it out.. I would love to see Luke (the only reason why I'm playing for the Lakers is because of my last name) Walton be a force to be reckoned with much like his dad was. But I digress

S. Brown 4pts, 2reb,2ast
L. Odom 8pts, 10reb, 1ast
S. Vujacic 9pts, 1reb, 1ast
J. Farmar 4pts, 1reb, 1ast




CELTICS:
*** Starters***
P. Pierce 13pts, 4 reb, 2 ast
K. Garnett 12pts, 6 reb, 3ast
K. Perkins 0pt,1reb, 0 ast - Perkins will be my honorable mention for this game. 6minutes into the game Perkins is fighting for the ball on a defensive rebound and comes down bad on his leg. He was taken out of the game and never returned. It will be interesting to see if he is well enough to return for Game 7, but during the post-game conference Doc Rivers, said he wasn't sure and the injury seemed pretty bad. Who knows, things could change by Thursday.






R. Allen 19pts, 2 reb, 3ast
R. Rondo 10pts, 5reb, 6ast

***Bench***
R. Wallace 0pts, 3 reb, 0ast
T. Allen 2pts, 1 reb, 0ast
N. Robinson 6pts, 4reb, 3ast
G. Davis 0pts, 9reb, 0ast
S. Williams 0pts, 3 reb, 0ast
M. Daniels 5pts, 1reb, 0ast

Highlight reel:
The best of Game 6:





Let me give the Celtics some love too:



Nate Robinson is a phenomenal athlete... I mean did you see Kobe and Lamar's smirk, they new that was bonkers...
Here is the Game 6 Mini-movie (these things are awesome! Really)





Predictions:
Bill Walton said it perfectly " The Lakers have 2 win 2 games at home, that is all that is standing in their way of being champions. And if they can't do that, then they aren't champions!"
Phil Jackson closed it out, by posting " 1 to Ring" up on the white board at the end of the game. There is only one game that stands between the Lakers and their 16th NBA Championship Title.
But I am not going to say that it is going to be easy. I need the energy and the intensity that they played with last night, times 10 tomorrow night. There is no better way to go out,than to push a Game 7 and to give it all that you have in your own house, with your own fans! Ugh, I can't wait until Thursday boy!!
But even with a win and this energy, we have to be crazy to think that Boston isn't going to come firing. I hope they bring it. I hope they put everything on the line as well, because a true battle would only make the victory that much sweeter. I want to see full combat to say yes, the two best teams in this season and in the league have reached the top and this was the best of the best at the Finals.
I know that as long as my team plays 100% better than they played last night, we have this one in the bag. 7 is my lucky number, and if Odom can fire up and wear that 7 proudly I think this game is going to be great to watch. And I can't wait to see the Lakers crowned the 2010 NBA Champs.

Taking from E-40 (again?) Go Hard or Go Home; well boys we are already home, so just GO HARD!

Game 5 and we are back in LA

Hey y'all so as you can imagine, your girl is a little disappointed by the outcome of the game last night between the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics. I didn't watch the whole game, I came in during the second half because I was enjoying some friend time with my Leo 707 roomie Sami and Nat, which was some much deserved R&R. Needless to say, watching the Twitter updates and the score via espn.com on my phone was really frustrating.
So last night the Lakers lost 92-86 in Boston putting the Celtics at a 3-2 lead in the series. We go back to LA tomorrow night where we need to put it all on the line to hold off the Celtics who are now one win away from becoming the 2010 NBA Champions.
I am not in the best mood, although I have the highest hopes for my team. We are going back home to LA for the next two games. When we win tomorrow we go to Game 7 on Thursday and that is where the true test will come out. I just hope that the team gets it together. With Lamar Odom, not willing to step up and take on the responsibility of a bigger role within the organization it is hard to find out how the team will survive. Odom is a strong player, but recent reports suggest that he doesn't want to deal with the pressure of being the kind of leader that the Lakers need, comments like " We play as A TEAM, we lose as A TEAM," have been his motto, without his willingness to be a power player, strikes fear in at least this particular Lakers fan. The game can not ride on the back of one player- KOBE! And after watching Game 5, you have to give him credit whether you like him or not, that he is a brilliant ball player.
So, because I don't have the heart to go into details about this game, let me just say this. WE (LAKERS) are not out! We have one game to get to GAME 6, the tide will turn. WE are at home, in LA for the next two games. Hopefully with our fans cheering for us and the refresher being on our own turf will help to boost our attitude and our heads. The Drive for 5 is not dead..
With that, here is the NBA.com mini-movie:

Drive for 5....

....Let's do this! Hey Ya'll it's your fav SportsGal89 In the Building.. Welcome back to another grand slam edition of the blog. Tonight/this morning, I'm gonna be covering my NBA Finals Game 5 Recap. If you don't know, and I don't know how you couldn't: the 2010 NBA Finals are being battled out on the court by two of the greatest teams, and in my opinion the two best teams that NEEDED to be at the top! The series is now tied (unfortunately) with a loss tonight by the Lakers in Boston. The series is tied 2-2 so it's any body's game. You might be wondering why I am so calm cool and collected going into Game 5, well I plan on explaining that to you in a minute. But let's get back to the finer things in life, the GAME!! duh!
If the Lakers thought that the Celtics were gonna let them take the championship they were definitely mistaken. And if I thought that I was gonna be able to watch the game and not have to deal with the FAILtics fan noise than I was also sadly mistaken. It seems as if Doc Rivers was not only able to pep up his squad but he must have pepped up his fans too, because as obnoxious as they were tonight they were on point. SO ANNOYING, and I mean ANNOYING both at TD and on TWITTER- ahh you like that ;) I'm so slick!
Anyways already going into the opening drive, the Celtics were a different team. I could tell out the gate that we weren't going to play the same team we beat in Game 3. And surely we didn't Pierce was driving and taking it to the basket right off the tipoff. He was being much more aggressive than he was in Game 3. But my thing is Pierce to me is a bit inconsistent, but to be honest they all are, that's how Doc like it. Let the boys play, give them their time and they will surprise you. Just as a ball fan, they have the makings of a great, great team. And each chance I see them evolve a little more. I'm just giving you morsels right now..
I said it all the way through the game at different points, that if the Lakers were gonna take this, then they needed to settle down and not get flustered by the fan noise and the hype. As much as people say all this stuff about how the Lakers are always the favored team blah, blah, blah- it is so one-sided. People through so much shade on the Lakers it's not even funny. From the commentators who are announcing the game who get all kinds of excited when the Celtics are scoring and basically sticking it to the Lakers- they make it perfectly clear where they stand, to the wannabe about the Green and White all of a sudden, just because they despise one person- KOBE! and this is coming off of my Twitter feeds: boy if I could show you the Twitter feeds. No one said jack ish about the Celtics when it was the 2nd round, but the minute we get to the finals EVERYONE is riding the Celtic jock. EVERYONE! People who I ain't never heard speak a lick about BBall all of a sudden are geniuses on the subject. Celebrities who aren't even from Boston, slanging shade on the Lakers. And they want to call the Celtics the Underdog. FINE! I'll take the heat, we must be doing something right to keep the spotlight on us. Bad publicity is still publicity. So I'll take it, make us the big bad wolf, hate on us. We aren't the team with 17 Rings tho ;) And just a side bar, the real reason there is so much shade thrown on the Lakers is because there is a conspiracy against West Coast love! Yeah I said it. Sports fans love East Coast or Midwest teams, but when you get out West and when you get to Cali and specifically LA, you can forget about it. But whatevs, I'll take it again. Because when it push comes to shove, we still produce. LET'S GO! Now back to the game..
At the half the Lakers led 45-42. This game was already intense. Both teams were being aggressive, putting it all up against each other. And going into the Half the Lakers were playing strong they had the Celtics at only 40% shooting.



As always,come the third quarter I am excited- the Lakers are strong during the third we have a chance to rally and tip the game. And for the greater part of the half TD Garden was quiet- hallelu-yer! (in that Medea voice). It must be said tho that we would have had a 4pt lead going into the second quarter but Garnett was able to pull off a sweet buzzer shot to close the gap and give the fans and the team a little momentum.Let's take a look now, this video brought to you by nba.com:



I had this pledge to my FB that I wouldn't go crazy with the posts this game, and I said I would only post twice at the beginning and then at the end. Well I posted I think the total during the game might have been 7. But it was so hard not to go in.. Anyways I decided at the half to post a little prediction:
I want to see the 3rd quarter domination by the Lakers and taking from my dad I want to see the 4th quarter "DAGGERS!"

The third quarter starts and Bynum doesn't return with the team. I'm worried that if he's out we will def have a repeat of 2008. We need a strong Center and bum knee or not, he is key. People think Bynum isn't necessary, but he makes a big difference and he is critical to this game. He's only 22, he has a long career ahead of him and he will be GREAT! But I recognized that the team was also very different than they were in 2008, they are prepared to play if Bynum is out.
And the change of the game- GLEN "BABY" DAVIS! He is able to draw an awful (not because it wasn't necessary, or the right call to make. But awful because Gasol shouldn't have allowed himself to get caught in that situation) off of Gasol that set him up for a three point shot and allowed the Celtics to take a 1pt lead. This 1pt lead moved to 8 unanswered points by the Celtics with Davis and Gorilla boy (and I know I am black, I shouldn't play into the stereotypes, but the way he leaps and how stocky he is, you can't help but think of the resemblance. I mean just a little bit- okay yes i am digging a hole. I will stop) Robinson leading the charge. And can I just say something, Big Baby ain't JORDAN, and he ain't sexy like my man LL, so he needs to stop thinking he's cute and keep that tongue in his mouth where it belongs.
Minutes left in the third quarter and the crowd starts getting pumped. They were silent for most of the half and boy did they get loud!All because of a great defensive play by Big Baby and a beautiful pass to Garnett from Rondo brought the crowd to the ceiling and their noise blaring through the tv. I just wanted the fans at TD to be put down and I wanted Kobe to put them to sleep (he would later answer, but would it be enough?)
4minutes left in the 3rd and the Celtics begin to play better than they have the whole game. They are making the first half of the game seem like yesterday's news. Whatever umph my boys had in the first half was slowly fading away. Garnett and Allen who have been fairly quiet the whole game are stepping up, Like I said before and will continue to say anything can happen. No matter what people think the outcome will be, the 4th quarter in both Football and BBall can shift like that. It is really any body's game.
And then came drool.. I have to show you this rather than "talk" about it...
[Please disregard that intro, but I couldn't find anyone else that has just this clip]



But dang could someone get him a napkin or something, that was just nasty. But I like the spirit! (And for you Laker fans reading this blog, come Game 6 when we are in LA rock a bib- to be honest I wish they could just get that shot of him, with the drool and plaster it all over some bibs that we wear. Especially because I know we are taking Game 5 in Beantown and will be winning the whole thing at home in LA)
Two things, I thought there were rules about the celebrating like that. And second he's riding my patience thin, later on in the game he does a little "shimmy shimmy ya" after dropping a foul. That to me should have def caught a technical. But whatever, Davis did what needed to be done to rally his team and get them a win. The Lakers needed to settle down and have fun playing ball. At this point there was maybe 8 minutes left in the game. We were down by I think 9 points, it was going to be fine. Mind you I was still waiting for those DAGGERS! And boy did we get them. Kobe was able to pull some sweet threes and with some fouls able to close up the gap. You have to like his concentration, and for all of you Kobe haters, I just don't get it. Fine, I'll give you the Tahoe incident- BAD FORM; I might even give you the "getting rid of Shaq deal". I don't know what he's like personally, but I don't get how you guys can hate on him. I mean no one has ever been able to give me anything valid about why they can't stand him. HE ISN'T THE ONE SAYING THAT HE'S THE BEST! WE ARE! So why are you gonna throw shade on a guy who plays the game so well. I mean yes at times being caught up in the moment he can be cocky, but what makes what Kobe does any worse than what "Big Baby" did last night, or for that matter what Nate Robinson did. I mean he plays the game, yes he like every other bball player, knows how to draw fouls and get away with slick ish. When you have a series as engulfed as this one can be, sometimes the ugliness does come out. But to get upset because WE compare him to MJ is stupid. To not give the guy credit to be a nobody 18 year old in the Lakers line-up to become the leader of the team getting them a 3peat and then a 4th ring and now on their way to 5, I mean give me a damn break. He has so much focus and determination. He is a coach, and a leader and he is a true genius of the game and I just wish that if you wanted to talk about why you dislike him that you gave me something substantial ABOUT THE GAME that I could stand on. (Sorry, I have just had enough of the Kobe hate and the double standard) And to say something else, people though Jordan was cocky too, they thought Magic was also, even Larry Bird was given the once-over for being so shy and reserved; so in my book he's (Kobe's) in good company.
Now back to the show, Kobe's late 4th quarter drive did some good, but not enough.[Video brought to you by nba.com]



The Celtics bench and Nate Robinson and Big Baby, clearly dominated the 4th quarter.


I mean clearly. We(the Lakers) let the game get away from us) Artest took a few long shots that just came off the backboard, there wasn't any direction or intention with these shots. He was a lot more aggressive though which I like. Even with the return of Bynum we weren't really dominating with rebounds on both sides of the ball. Too many turnovers changed the game immensely. Where we had dominated the first half, the Celtics really stuck it to us in the second.

Here are the stats:
***LAKERS***
Starters:
R. Artest 9pts,7reb,3ast
P. Gasol 21pts,6reb,3ast
A. Bynum 2pts,3reb,0ast
K. Bryant 33pts,1reb,2ast
D. Fisher 6pts,1reb,2ast

Bench:
L. Odom 10pts,7reb,1ast
S. Vujacic 2reb,1ast
S. Brown 5pts,0reb,0ast
J. Farmar 3pts,2reb,1ast

***Celtics***
Starters:

P. Pierce 19pts,6reb,5ast
K. Garnett 13pts,6rebs,3ast
K. Perkins 6pts,7reb,0ast
R. Allen 12pts,5rebs,1ast
R. Rondo 10pts,5reb,3ast

Bench:
G. Davis 18pts,5reb,0ast
R. Wallace 3pts,2reb,0ast
T. Allen 3pts,3reb,1ast
N. Robinson 12pts,2reb,2ast

Okay so I am going to set you up with the Game 4 Recap:


And once I get the mini movie I will post...

Now on to why I am still so very cheerie after a Game 4 loss by the Lakers. Here it is and tell me if you can hate me?
So you know how I have told you before that I love the game more than I love teams. I mean don't get it twisted, I will go tooth and nail with anyone who talks bad about my teams, but at the end of the day my love of the game trumps anything. I want to see a something memorable, like Jordan and his unbelievable atheletic ability, or when Shannon Brown is able to catch some air and really fly, or when Boise State beat Oklahoma in the most incredible 4th quarter drive that I have ever seen. I mean watching a player put it all out on the field, court or wherever and just play the game for me as a fan is it. It makes being a fan worth it! So as I watched this game I get excited when I see these little flairs that make me enjoy being a fan of this sport- watch my friends can tell you, I'll be like Ray Allen's momma when I have kids. Oh boy! You think I'm crazy now, ha ha ha. I mean I am already that way and it's just when I am cheering on my friends, (especially football- quick shoutout to my 'Hill boys- you know who you are!). Anyway there was a moment during the 4th quarter when Garnett was waiting to get put in the game and then got called back by Doc, while Davis and Robinson were handling it on the court (Like I said I will give them their credit), anyways so Garnett is on his knees and there was this one shot of him and you could just see the hunger in his eyes, and the excitement of the game just came a live through. I got tingles watching it and I get tingles thinking about it now. I think that those are the moments I live for. I want to know that if I am cheering my butt off that I am going to get a great show! I want to know that even if my team isn't the team that is showing the flair, that at least we get to see some magic happen. Yes, I want the Lakers to win and WE WILL. But I know that I want to see a great game. There is nothing like sitting at home anticipating greatness to see it all fall short. I mean boxing is boxing for a reason, that's the whole point especially with certain heavy hitters, but when you are playing this sort of man to man combat like this I want to see something phenonmenal. And given this moment Garnett wasn't playing, but he just lit something in me that said this "Just got good." I think by the far the two best teams are playing right now. And each game we see a little bit more of their strength. They are two different teams than they were in 2008, and obviously the Celtics are a different team than they were at the start of the season. But irregardless this is where the amazing happens- the 2010 Finals and these two teams will go down to me as the greatest rivalry. I know I watched much of the Magic and Larry Bird days through old recordings and VHS that my dad had, but this time I get to claim this. I get to say that I got to see the Celtics of late and my LA Lakers play their lives out for the world to see and boy have they put on a show!
So with that I know that my Laker fans know this is far from over, but we got this! THE DRIVE FOR 5! Is still in effect. We have Game 5 in Boston, which we will take and then we go home to LA to take it all. I want the Laker fans to tear down the house. WE ARE LA! GET IT!!!

******
GOT THE MINI MOVIE off of NBA.com:


And I love that end by Sasha Vujacic- "We got to come back tomorrow and work hard, we got to come back on Satruday and work hard and we got to come back on Sunday and beat them. THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE!" LOVE IT!!!

See ya Sunday!

And the New 2010 Stanley Cup holders are....

That's right ladies and gentlemen THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS!!! Welcome to another fabulous sports edition by your one and only fave SportsGal89 In The Building!!!
Last night after 49 years of waiting, the Chicago Blackhawks redeemed their championship status by beating the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.
Check out this video I found on Youtube about the '61 Blackhawks:



Back history: The Blackhawks spelled Black Hawks before 1986 have won a total of 4 Stanley Cup Finals and 14 division championships since they were founded in 1926. And like many Chicago teams they hit a slump and have not really found their groove, and always falling a Little bit short with the wins.
They beat the Flyers last night 4-3 in OT. Take a look at the highlight clip:


What does this mean for the great city of Chicago? That hopefully the city is on the upswing of good luck in the sports world. Let's Start with the Bears: Chicago Bears have won 17 Division Championships, 4 Conference Championships, they have 8 NFL titles and 1 Superbowl Championship which came in 1985.
1985 was the lat year the the Chicago Bears had made it to their Superbowl until 2006 when for the first time the Football world witnessed not just one, but two of the first Black coaches to make it to the Superbowl. Lovie Smith, the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tony Dungy the former coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Well, as the story goes the Colts won that match and DA BEARS have yet to return.
On to the White Sox:
One of two MLB teams in Chicago, the White Sox came to town and stayed in 1900! Some old school right there. They were a strong team at the start, winning their first World Series in 1906. Their history is littered with legendary names: Shoeless Joe Jackson and Eddie Cicotte to name a few. Marred by a scandal known as the "Black Sox Scandal," where big names within the organization including Shoeless Joe and Cicotte were accused of purposefully throwing games. You could say this left the team a little cursed. They won their first World Series in 2005 after 88 years of no gold. I vaguely remember that series and what it meant for the city to have another big win after a long dry spell.

The second MLB team in Chicago: THE CUBS
Established in 1871, the Cubs hold the record for the longest drought in any sport (I do believe). The Cubs haven't won a title in 102years! WHAT?!!! They haven't appeared in a World Series in over 65 years. Die hard "Cubbies" fans as they are affectionately known as, stand by their "North Side" "Boys in Blue," like white on rice. Each year hoping that this will be the year that things turn around. Given the fact that you have the Bulls (who I will get to next) who have been the team that has sort of kept Chicago in the "game" so to speak, it seems that it is about time the the Cubs get their shot, especially now after a Blackhawks win, the Cubs are the last Chicago team standing to bring home a title and end the drought. Will it happen? Only time will tell..

THE ERA OF THE BULLS:
One of the greatest dynasties in NBA history especially in the early 90's with the great Michael Jordan leading the squad. I remember these games growing up as a kid and boy was he in a league of his own. You had the great Phil Jackson as head coach and an all-star cast that included: Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman etc. This 90's team and the Era that was Jordan won 6 championships in 8 years- 2 Three-Peat wins! WHAT? I think we can all agree that the Bulls and MJ were legendary, and if you don't remember let me remind you:



Anyways, the Bulls haven't been really championship swag since MJ retired from the game, but they are on the rise after rebuilding their team and acquiring Derrick Rose in 2008. They clinched their Division title and made it to the playoffs but the experience was short lived after being eliminated by the Cavs.
Needless to say, I'm sort of pulling for the Cubs to wrap up this Chicago spirit with a run at a title.. Again we shall see.
Congratulations to the Blackhawks with your win!

This should have been a 3-0 series for the Lakers, but I'll take it!! LET'S GO!!

... Hey ya'll so it's your girl SportsGal89 In the Building. Let me just say the last 18 hours has been quite eventful. As I mentioned last post, covering the finals, going into the next three games in Boston was going to be tough. But I never said we were out...
The game started slow, Kobe and the Lakers weren't able to bank any shots. Celtics took on a 6 nothing lead early in the first, with a strong offensive game by KG. Lakers for some reason weren't able to settle down and find their rhythm. Not connecting with the basket at any attempts made, long passes with some turnovers, horrible defense and still no pick up on those Offensive rebounds that would really help us. But that downward spiral didn't last for long and with the leadership of Kobe we were able to catch a decent rhythm leading by 10 points before the half ended. I was a pretty happy camper by this point knowing that the Lakers are really strong in the third, and knowing that given the opportunity they could really break open this game and give the Lakers the room they needed to breathe. But the Celtics (as much as I can't stand them, you got to give it to them) didn't let the Lakers break away for long. Their bench at the end of the 3rd quarter had scored 22pts! 22pts, on the L.A. Lakers during the third quarter! DA-Y-AMN!!!
I have said it before and I will say it again, the 4th Quarter is where the magic happens. That is where both teams either play hard or one bows out. The Celtics weren't going to let us go into their home and win without a fight and with the help "Big Baby" Glen Davis, the Celtics clawed their way back to be down by 1pt. Again, because I am a fan of the sport as much as, if not more, than my being a fan of the teams, I have to say Glen Davis was a stroke of genius. He was on fire on both sides of the ball, dominating in defensive rebounds, and making plays and drawing fouls when it needed to be done. It was really annoying to barely hear the crowd going into the 4th to hear their bloodcurdling applause and jubilation as they began to get fired up by what Davis was doing on the court. Here's a look, please don't excuse me for the Hollywood dramatic music that is on this clip brought to you by NBA.com:


But that all came to a screeching halt, when our "Silent Sneaker" Derek Fisher came out in true veteran form! No matter how many Kobe Bryants there are, they can not carry the team on their own. They need to have a great cast behind them and Derek Fisher has been that man on the Lakers. It saddens me to think that commentators say he is not Hall of Fame material, but I get so excited when I see him do what he did last night. Derek Fisher was the the saving grace to the Lakers win at the end of this game.. I cannot explain this in words better than the coaches, the players and the man himself; brought to you by NBA.com:



I think Derek said it best, and these are the moments that I love being a fan of this game, to watch an athlete live beyond the hype, still be humbled and play because he/she loves to play: "It's like being a kid, you never get tired of that candy!"- Derek Fisher


And here is the footage, again sorry for the Hollywood dramatic music. This clip is brought to you by the NBA.com:



So enough highlighting two of the people who I think really turned the game around on both sides of the ball for their individual teams. I want to talk a little bit more about the game itself. I mentioned earlier that the Lakers in the first quarter were able to catch a rhythm towards the middle of the quarter with the assistance of MR. 24 himself. But the thing that was idk, blase about the whole thing was that yes Kobe got warm, but he never caught on fire. I think I am still waiting for that moment and hopefully it will come soon. Ray Allen, didn't have a HUGE performance like he did in Game 2 and Rajon Rondo, well I guess I'm still waiting for him to open up. He had a little moment during a halftime interview with Magic that I want to share. Sorry, so I was looking for the video clip, and I might butcher it but He said something like this, "It's a great feeling to get 2 [rings] in 4 years and it is something else when those 2 are against the Lakers," Rajon Rondo, talking to Magic Johnson about the Boston/LA Rivalry and his shot at another ring after 4 years in the league. So the sports fan in me, sits in awe watching this 24 year old kid play this game, with what seems to be the most humbling attitude ever. But then the Lakers fan in me says C'Mon Son! (Ed Lover voice!), watch it, watch it, watch it! Lol.. But dang, if I can get the interview I will put it up because it was just a sweet deal.
Anyways I think I lost my train of thought for a moment, so here is the highlight reel of Game 3 brought to you by Nba.com (sorry ESPN has awesome highlights, but they have blocked their sharing feature) at any rate, this mini-movie is on point! and reminds me so much why I love this game:

And just like that ending:" It's one game, your to move on to the next one," BRING ON GAME 4!!!

The Stats and then I'm out:

***LAKERS***
STARTERS
Ron Artest 2pts, 3 reb, 1 ast
Pau Gasol 13pts, 10 reb, 4ast
Andrew Bynum 9pts, 10 reb, 0 ast
Kobe Bryant 29pts, 7 reb, 4ast
Derek Fisher 16pts, 3reb, 1 ast

BENCH
Lamar Odom 12pts, 5reb, 1 ast
Luke Walton 2pts, 2reb,1 ast
Shannon Brown 4pts, 1reb,0 ast
Sasha Vujacic 2pts
Jordan Farmar 2pts, 2reb, 1ast

***CELTICS***
STARTERS
Kevin Garnett 25pts, 6reb, 3ast
Paul Pierce 15pts, 2reb, 2ast
Kendrick Perkins 5pts, 11reb, 1ast
Ray Allen 2pts, 4reb,2ast
Rajon Rondo 11pts, 3reb, 8ast

BENCH
Rasheed Wallace 2pts, 4reb, 3ast
Tony Allen 7pts, 2reb, 1ast
Nate Robinson 5pts, 0 reb, 0ast
Glen Davis 12pts, 3reb, 0ast

Stanley Cup

Hey Ya'll its SportsGal89 In the Building... I am still learning the ins and outs about the hockey world, my two favorite sports are football and basketball (check out the Game 3 blog from the NBA Finals in a few minutes), but I got this one by special request from one of my supporters so I figured I would delve a little bit into the Stanley Cup match up 2010.
As you know I was going for the SJ Sharks. My entrance into Shark nation came from a good friend Jorge that I worked with in Downtown San Jose. I never really watched hockey that much and when I did it was to see one thing (THE FIGHTS) so Jorge opened my eyes to the greatness that is Shark nation while I was living in the Bay Area and I have had an affinity for the sport ever since. With that said, when the Sharks made it to the Western Conference Finals I was going for the Sharks all the way. They were playing the Chicago Blackhawks, who ended up taking the series and headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.
On the East, for the Conference Title you had the Philadelphia Flyers versus Montreal Canadeins. The series, a 7 game match up- where the first to 4 takes the cup, like most finals can be. It was predicted that the Flyers would be out early considering they were down in the series 3-nil! But somehow the Flyers managed to come back and take the win and the conference title. Now up against Chicago, the Flyers have to claw their way back for a win. Series is at 3-2 with Chicago leading and tonight is Game 6, with Chicago predicted to win.
I don't know where I stand on the issue, but in any sport, I am up for something interesting. I would love to see this series tied with the final showdown on game 7, but we'll see.
I'll update you on the finals tonight after the game, 8pm EST on NBC