Father's Day/ Birthday extravaganza

Okay, so I was wrong about the Magic beating the Lakers. Oh well.

My lovely wife actually took me out to dinner and a movie the Saturday before Father's Day for a Father's Day/Birthday gift. I got dinner at Outback. I have never had a bad meal there. After that she treated me to a movie. My choice was "Star Trek." I am more of a Star Wars guy but have had a passing interest in the Star Trek movies. A lot of those movies have sucked. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this one did not suck. We actually got to see how Kirk got his start as well the fact that Uhura and Spock were once an item. After that, my wife treated me dessert at DQ. I got the largest soft serve cone I could. It was delicious! We went back to my folk's house around 10:30ish and was exhausted. Man, I am getting old. Had a great time though. It reminded me of dating in high school and college, except I didn't have to pay for it and dinner wasn't at a pizza place.

We also spent Father's Day at my Mom's and Dad's house. It was almost surreal seeing three generations of the men in my family around the dinner table (my father, my son, and myself). I got a picture frame with several pictures of my son and me. It made my day. I will have to find a place for it in my classroom. My loving wife got me a throwback Cub's cap and a replica jersey t-shirt with the # 1 and in place of a player's name "Dad". I am so proud of that shirt that I wore it two days straight. I actually found a biography about my dad's college football coach and gave it to him. He loved it and had it read before we left on Sunday. He truly loved it. The gifts were nice but it was the time with my dad and my son meant the most to me. I now understand why my Dad has often said that all he wants for Father's Day is to spend time with his kids. That is how I felt. All I wanted was to spend time with my son. For those of you who read this blog and are Fathers, you know exactly what I mean. For those of you who have not yet experienced the joys of fatherhood, you soon will. There is nothing like having your child run up to you, hug you around your legs and say "I love you daddy." It gets me misty-eyed thinking about it.

My actual Birthday was pretty uneventful. I had to attend a workshop for school. However, I did get to treat myself to lunch at Moe's.

The son is spending this week at my folk's house this week getting spoiled rotten. He will be back Saturday and I miss him a whole lot. At the same time, he has never spent and extended amount of time at with my folks and I figured it was time. It's funny, you want a break from your child, but you start missing him the moment you pull out of the driveway until the moment he gets home.

That is all for now. A happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there and another round of Happy Birthdays for my Deuce mates Mikey Nipp (who has the privilege of sharing my birthday) and Shawn Sharp (visit him at http://www.shawnsharpphotography.com/)

NBA Finals Preview

Everybody and their Grandmas are posting a preview, so I figured I would join the party. This years pairing is the LA Lakers versus the Orlando Magic.

First of all, big ups to my man D$ who had the courage to predict the Magic to make it when everyone else was picking the LeBrons. I have to admit, I enjoyed watching the NBA's (along with Nike, Vitamin Water and ESPN) dream match-up blow up in their face.

We will go position by position:

Center: Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum

Bynum has struggled a little bit since returning from his knee injury. Howard looked absolutely unstoppable in Game 6 against the Cavs. It might have been because the Cavs quit, but he looked really good. Bynum has not shown to be a game changer on either end of floor while Howard has. Big Advantage: Orlando

Power Forward: Rashard Lewis vs. Pau Gasol

Lewis has been shooting the lights out from distance this post season and has shown a knack for making big shots. His range will take Gasol away from the basket and increase offensive rebounding opportunities for the Magic. However, on the other end of the floor, it would appear Pau has a huge advantage offensively over Lewis. His ability to score down low and hit the mid-range jumper over Lewis should pay huge dividends. Advantage: LA

Small Forward: Hedo Turkoglu vs. Trevor Ariza

At 6-10, Turkoglu is a tough match-up for any small forward. He can shoot over them or take them to the rim. His ability to hit the three is a huge weapon in his arsenal as well. Ariza has improved greatly since he left the Knicks. Then again, who wouldn't? Ariza is a "high-energy" guy and a fairly decent defender. Depending on how this series goes, Lamar Odom might gets some starts here depending on how the series plays out early. Advantage: Orlando

Shooting Guard: Courtney Lee vs. Kobe Bryant

I am not going to spend much time on this. Courtney Lee is fairly decent and even though I think Ko-me is a butthead, he is one of the greatest players ever. Big Advantage: LA

Point Guard: Rafer Alston vs. Derek Fisher

This one is tough to call. Alston has been huge after he was acquired to replace the injured Jameer Nelson (more on that later). Other than the stupid head slapping of Eddie House is Rd. 2 he has been a very steadying influence on this team and has shown the ability to hit open shots. Derek Fisher has been around forever and it seems like he is always on teams that go deep into the playoffs. That is not coincidence. The guy is a savvy veteran with a knack for making big shots. I just don't think he can keep up with Alston. Slight Advantage: Orlando

Bench:

Martin Gortat has played quite well this post season when Howard has needed a rest or was out (see game 6 vs. Philly). Anthony Johnson has played well as Alston's back-up and Mickael Pietrus has been shooting and defending very well. There have been rumors that Jameer Nelson might come back for the Finals. I think that would be a spark for the Magic. LA's bench numbers are slightly skewed since it could be argued that Lamar Odom should be a starter. Odom is one of those guys that is a game changer when he feels like playing and a waste of space when he doesn't. DJ Mbenga might get some playing time to try to beat up Howard. Luke Walton will get his minutes. Jordan Farmar plays well in spurts and Sasha Vuajic can be trouble is he gets hot from the outside.

Advantage: LA

Coaching: Stan van Gundy vs. Phil Jackson

You have the hyperactive Ron Jeremy look-a-like versus the condescending smugness of Phil Jackson. People have been dogging van Gundy all during these playoffs, and some people say Orlando got here in spite of him. That may be the case, but here they are. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit I cannot stand Phil Jackson for reasons too numerous to mention. It is hard to argue with the results though (see 9 NBA Championships).

Big Advantage: LA

Final Analysis:

Everyone has been picking the Lakers and I fully understand why. They have, arguably, the best player and best coach on the planet. However the Lakers have shown a tendency not to show up for every game. They have lost home court in the last two rounds in games 1 and 2 respectively but have managed to get it back by stealing one on the road. I really think Orlando can win in LA more than once and they did sweep the Lakers in the regular season. If they do, I am not so sure LA will be able to flip the switch and regain home-court advantage like they have before. I am calling for the upset.

Magic in 6