No, this is not the 2008 Finals again. It’s completely different. The Celtics have a very different looking bench and an All-Defensive point guard. The Lakers are better and are the reigning champions. But I’m still tipping history to repeat itself and the Celtics to walk home with championship #18. Here’s why.
It’s a boring [...]

AP Photo/Winslow Townson
A week ago J.O wrote his piece on the potential Celtics vs Lakers Finals match up, which at the time felt like a perfectly reasonable idea. A few days later it seemed a little premature, with Orlando winning a couple of games and the Suns leveling the series at 2-2.  Now, thanks to [...]

Somehow, some way, it’s coming. If the events of the past week in the NBA playoffs weren’t enough indication, they’ll be another epic blockbuster with a cataclysmic finale this summer (or winter, depending on what part of the globe your nuts freeze in). If this was Jeff Van Gundy, you’d hear something along the lines [...]

Day 30 – Where Orlando ‘10 looked like Cleveland ‘09

3 votes – Ray Allen. Ray was real smooth in this one. Smoothly draining 8-16 shots on his way to a team-high 25 points, smoothly sneaking into the key to grab 7 rebounds (an equal-playoff high for Ray), and smoothly sinking two free throws with 6 [...]

ONE: Haven’t done an Aussie Roundup in a little while – guess I’m still recovering from the tragic news of Bogut’s injury. But there is some cause for rejoice for Aussie NBA fans. In case you weren’t following the blow-out that was Game 2 of Phoenix vs Portland, our own Patty Mills got a [...]

They’re finally here. The 2010 NBA Playoffs. The second season. The reason we play 82.
On the eve of Day 1 of the playoffs, Ant and Rob break down each series the old-fashioned way, position-by-position, as well as telling you what really matters. You know, like what beer to drink, who you should be rooting for, [...]

Ant is the newest writer here at NBAMate. When he’s not over-loading the server with his long, rambling, over-hyphenated posts, he’s fighting for the revival of the fedora as a mainstream fashion item or bluffing his way through a cricket conversation with work mates. He is the thinking man’s NBA blogger, so lock-in and enjoy.
I [...]

ONE: It’s been a while between Six Packs, and with the time off I’ve had over the New Year I thought it was only fitting to churn out what will undoubtedly be the most massive Sunday Six Pack of all time.
On the Aussie front, the biggest news this week has of course been [...]

Explain to me the logic in this. Trevor Ariza, a player who was instrumental in the Lakers 2009 Championship but who ultimately has achieved very little else in his career so far, refuses to accept the Lakers mid-level exception offer believing himself to be worth much more. Ron Artest, a veteran who has won defensive [...]

Having had time to reflect on the 2009 Finals I’ve come to a conclusion on what they really were. Not Kobe’s vindication, or Phil’s coronation. But something else: an anticlimax. There were at least four series that were more entertaining during these playoffs – Boston v Chicago, Houston v LA, Orlando v Boston and Orlando [...]