Here you are in the last 6.30 minutes of game 2 of the NBA finals and you are down 88-73.

What can you do to overcome this onslaught? Game over right?

Not so fast my basketball fans. Nowitzki, Terry and Marion each had something to say. The game is played for 48 minutes and not 41.30 minutes.

The Heat thought that slowing down the game would give them the easy victory since they were up by double digits.

Surprise, surprise! The Mavs went on a 22-5 run even though they were undersized and outquicked by the Heat.

When the score was tied and there were only 25 seconds left on the clock, everybody in the universe except the Heat knew that Dirk was going to get the ball.

Where was the double team?

Why was Bosh on Dirk instead of Lebron?

Ask yourself these questions and see what you come up with for answers. It was not a melt down, it was simply a shut down. I MAKE THE CALL.

Shaq Retires - Image from Fox Sports

Shaquille O’Neal, you have given us 19 years of thrill, spills and frills, and as fans, we are grateful.

Your NBA statistics speak for itself and you have nothing else to prove. You have your rings and your AllStar ratings and we are convinced that you are one of the NBA all time greatest.

In your career you have been to the Lakers, the Miami Heat, Phoenic Suns, Cleveland cavaliers and the your final stop being the Boston Celtics.

These last 3 years have not been good to you health wise and I know that it had a lot to do with your decision to retire.

Many times the mind is willing, but the body is not able. As one of your biggest fans, I think you have reached that stage. Take your farewell bow, don’t do an encore, stay retired, you have earned that right. I MAKE THE CALL.

Coach Carlisle, the Mavs did not lose the first game. You did.

Throughout the first half your team played zone instead of man to man, and you literally stymied the Heat offense. For some unknown reasons, you came out with a man to man defense and the Heat destroyed you simply because they were able to get into the paint and the perimeters were left wide opened.

Just like in football, defense wins games and the Heat showed it.

The Heat put the clamps on Dirk and just about made JJ and Terry non factors in the second. Take note of the Heat and how they close. Just like their name, they bring the heat in the closing moments of these playoff games.

Mavs, go with what brought you to Miami and if you don’t, your playoff in the finals will beshort. I MAKE THE CALL.

Taking it to the hoop!

Only Dirk Nowitzki remains from the 2006 Maverick team that lost the title to the Heat. As a matter of fact, only Dirk and owner Mark Cuban have an axe to grind for that lost in 2006.

D. Wade has no issues with that. His team won the NBA Title, no worries there, but is D. Wade healthy enough to make it 2 in a row against the Mavs, considering he has Lebron and Bosh to back him up and not the Shaq?

South Beach won’t be the same if the Heat goes down. The Heat has more to lose than the Mavs. They literally bought a team of championship calibre and is expected to go all the way. It would be devastating to lose to the Mavs and the loss would put the explanation point on the Heat. You can’t buy championships like Steinbrenner, you have to play as a team and win it.

Believe you me, the Heat is really on in Miami. I MAKE THE CALL

Back in the day when this blogger was growing up watching players like Baylor, Kareem, Chamberlin and Russell, the media was like ghost. We only heard of the outcome of players contracts after they had been signed, sealed and delivered.

Now a days, we are hearing about contracts as far out as 2 years away. What in the hell are we coming to?

The media is constantly hounding Howard about his future in Orlando. Is he staying or is he going?  He still has a full season left and no one knows what help the organization will be getting him during the off season. We all know that they have to do something if he is to remain in Orlando. Nothing was more evident about Dwight needing help than the quick exit during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Yes, Dwight will have quite a few options, but the good thing about those options, they will still be there after the 2012 season so why try to pressure Dwight into making a decision that he really does not have to make at this time.

Allow the interested parties to put all of their cards on the table and let him play the hand that he thinks he can win with. I MAKE THE CALL.

The Zen Master did it for twenty years and established the most wins in playoff games, 229 and won more than 70 percent of games he coached. What a record, but what his team did to him yesterday, was total embarrassment to him. They did not come to play, they came to pass the time. They did not defend, they defected. Their attitude was simply, so what. When you allow your opponent to hit 15 of 16 three pointers, you are not guarding or defending anybody.. The beat down that the Marvs put on the Lakers was beyond belief. I just could not fathom the Lakers being spanked by 36 points in any game. It got to the point where I just stopped watching and started writing. I did not need to see anymore of the wood shed beating the Lakers were taking. It was really a come to Jesus meeting, and Mark Cuban’s Mavericks were pouring it on. Can you imagine how Jack Nicholson is feeling about his beloved Lakers. I don’t dare ask for fear of being assinated. In the end, Odom and Bynum resort to dirty tactics, but it was too late even for that. The Lakers did not come prepared to win game 4. They simply came to pass the time, and a can of whoop ass just happened to be on the court. Well Zen Master, it was your last game as coach of the Lakers. You had a magnificent run and you deserve your 11 championship. The only sour note about all of this is, the way your team sent you off. At least, it was clean. Oh I meant sweep. I MAKE THE CALL.

• Shaquille O’Neal, calf and achilles tendon.
• Paul Pierce, achilles tendon.
• Ray Allen, chest pains and
• Rajon Rondo back pain.

Doc Rivers said they will all be ready to play. Guys, we are talking the walking wounded here.  Do you honestly think that the Celtic can compete with a healthy Heat team even on their home court in Boston?

I say nay, nay!

Even if Shaq plays, he will only take up space in the paint, and won’t be a force if the Heat continues to hit the perimeter shots like they did in game 2. I doubt Shaq can give them 15 good minutes. The Celtics will be lucky if they get 5 minutes out of him!

The big 3: Garnett, Allen and Pierce, need to step up their games and Rondo has to be more aggressive and drive the ball down the court with an attitude. This is a must win game for Boston. They can’t allow the Heat to win 3 straight. If they loose this weekend in Boston, what chances do they have coming back to South Beach. Practically none. I MAKE THE CALL.

Curtains for the Lakers!

It is curtain call time in the city of glitter and gold, and the Lakers are looking up to see the Walk of Fame.

The Mavericks have pushed the Lakers to the edge, and they are now holding on for dear life. Not since 2008, have the Lakers been in a dog fight like this. To paraphrase my late father-in-law’s favorite crooner,  Old Blue Eyes, ” The end is near and they can see the final curtain, but are in no position to do it their way”.

Right now, the Mavericks see the weak link in the chain and they are steadily pulling it apart.

Unless the rest of the Lakers decide to join Odom and Kobe in these next 2 games in Dallas, this could be the final curtain call.

Personally, this blogger believes that the Lakers lack the intestinal fortitude to come back; but then again, history has a nasty way of repeating itself. Win the next 2 or they are through. I MAKE THE CALL.

Taking it to the hoop!

The Mavericks were in a world of hurt. Down by 16 points, but something or someone stoked them and they came back with Dirk and Jason Terry carrying the load.

Jason Kidd’s steal in the closing seconds along with the foul gave the Mavs the opportunity to seal the deal. Kidd missed one of the free throws and the Lakers had the opportunity to tie the game, but Kobe went for the three point win shot instead of the two to tie and send the game into overtime.

That shot was indicative of Kobe’s game all night where he took 29 shots, but not one was a layup. The lakers just lost home court advantage and are in a must win situation at home. Whose fault was it to blow 16 point lead? It was the entire team and the coach. I MAKE THE CALL.

NBA TEAM JERSEYS

The only thing that was better than the two semifinal games yesterday, was Bin Laden getting wasted.

Wow, what a day and what a blow against terrorism.

We had it all yesterday. Just a day and a half after dropping some spankage on the Spurs, the Grizzlies rode into Oklahoma City and gave the Thunder some take me out to the woodshed time inspite of Kevin Durant’s 33 points.

Zack Randolph was the man and if Gay continues to do what he does best, lookout Lakers. Oh, and by the way, Zack just dropped a mere 34 points on OKC. Nice work for a Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile in the east, the two beasts were going to war and some war it was.

The Heat came out smoking and the Celtic had nothing to put out the fire. It was very physical and it will continue to be just that throughout this semifinal series.

This should have been the Eastern Conference Finals instead of the semis. D Wade and James Jones were on fire and came to play. They continually lit up the scoreboard even when Pierce was scorching them for a few. Bad call on the officials for ejecting him.

Even with the ejection, the Celtics would not have won. Perhaps they would have made it a closer score in the end, but the outcome would have remained the same. James Jones putting up threes and D Wade hitting on all cylinders from the start of the game. The Heat 99, The Celtics 90. I MAKE THE CALL.