SOHH Sports

Ayo, just thinking about the Super Bowl ... y'all know there's a whole crowd devoted to watching it only for the commercials. Now, me, I never really quite understood that, but I guess if you have no interest in the game and everyone at the crib is watching, the commercials give you a chance to do you.

SOHH just for those people, I got on my youtube HGH and heeeere we gooo:

'Mean' Joe Greene Coca-Cola Classic Ad (1979)
Maan, I don't think y'all could have this kind of commercial running today. It's too sugary sweet. A dude like T.O. may accept the offer and then mutter, "f**king kid" under his breath. Ha! Times have changed. But this right here is and always will be Classic!

I found this Top 10 countdown of the best Super Bowl ads last year. Peep.

Now, Flashing (lights, lights) Back to The Future, let's peep this Diet Pepsi Max commercial with none other than Busta Rhymes and LL Cool J. Ayoo, the cut checks to Busta and LL must have been lovely because look at these cats' faces when the jolt of Pepsi hits 'em. Dudes look like clowns! Especially Busta in the movie theatre. L-M-A-O.

Aight, aight ... we keeping it light today, but NYC just in case you're looking for something to do before the big game - SNY is holding its first high school hoops SNY Invitational on Friday and Saturday. It will feature Lance Stephenson, this kid they call Born Ready. This Coney Island, Bk dude already has a major buzz not only in NYC, but the nation. I hear dude's kinda niiice. Peep.

Hopefully my Aftermath Monday will be about the Giants shocking the world! Yeeeea!

Peace!

Your Boy,

SOHH Ballsy

AYYYYOOOOO! G-G-G-G-G-GG-G-G-G-G-G-G-GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

YOOOOOO! I'M ON AN ALL-TIME HIGH, MAAN! For two weeks, all I heard is how badly the Giants were going to lose. Well ayo, my Giants took it those Patriots.

By now, y'all have probably seen every highlight again on SportsCenter, SOHH no need to repeat them, but here's the story with the key players involved:

-Eli Manning:

-Plaxico Burress

-Michael Strahan

-Tom Brady

-Randy Moss

The man scored the TD that put the Patriots up 14-10, but couldn't work any more magic. Still, I give dude props for a dope season and for not making excuses afterwards:

"Eli and his offense made some great plays. Hats off to them. There's nothing they did wrong; a lot of things they did right."

Aight Moss, now don't catch a case.

-Bill Belichick

After all your smugness, all you did is lead an 18-1 team. Y'all cheated against the Jets in Week 1 (and who knows how much before that?). Karma's a biiiiatch!

Big up Eli, Plaxico, Strahan and the rest of the G-Men. Y'all are the World Champions! 19-0, No, NO!

SOHH Boston, what up!? On the real, though, how y'all feeling? Y'all know that winning 18 straight games is big, but doesn't really mean sh*t if you don't win the Super Bowl, right? I ain't trying to rub it in. I'm just sayin. You know how many 'Patriots Super Bowl Champions' T-Shirts gotta be burned or sent to third-world countries now!? Ha!

I mean, I'm entitled to talk that sh*t after reading comments like these:

Boston Strangler says... WE MAKIN HISTORY ALL YEAR POPPING BOTTLES LIKE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM TIMES 3 FOR THE STRIPES BITCHES January 31, 2008 9:37 AM

HOLDIN_MCGROIN says... AFTER SUNDAY YOU WILL BE CRYING ABOUT HOW THE PATS RAN UP THE SCORE ON THE GIANTS. TOM BRADY+WARM WEATHER=GIANT BEATDOWN! February 1, 2008 11:18 AM

Big up to the homie Henry, who predicted that the Giants would win by three points right here on this blog on Friday. Chuuch!

Speak on the Giants' Win, Patriots' loss and the whole Super Bowl! Holla!
New York's back...imagine how B.I.G. feels!

Your Boy,

SOHH Ballsy

Just imagine how it feels to be Tiki Barber today. The New York Giants, fresh off their Super Bowl upset, will be saluted in a parade down the Canyon of Heroes and that dude has to TALK about it. He CAN'T live it.

Tiki, you a buster!

After publicly blasting Eli Manning in his first week on the job as a commentator, Tiki had to interview Eli fresh off helping to LEAD THE GIANTS TO THE UPSET SUPER BOWL WIN.

Please let this video load. Y'all have to watch Tiki interview Eli.

The funniest thing is lady from the Today Show tells Tiki, "Congratulations" to start the clip. Uhh, why are you congratulating him? Dude's not a Giant. Maan, that's got eat at you, homeboy!

Tiki starts his narrative about the Giants' upset win with, "With a clutch performance by quarterback Eli Manning, the New York Giants cast history aside to fullfill their own destiny" and later, "Manning led the Giants to two touchdowns."

Y'all know Tiki hated laying the vocals down for that.

Now around the 2:25-mark is the best time to peep. That's when Tiki gets Eli one on one ... and Eli hits Tiki with the ill Jay-Z subliminal.

"We Had The Right Guys Playing That We Could Make It Work," Eli told Tiki.

AYOOOOO! Let's just call Eli SOHH Ballsy from now on! That one was for you Tiki. The "RIGHT GUYS." You ain't one of the guys he was talking about. Strahan is. Osi is. BRANDON JACOBS is. Tyree is. YOU AIN'T!

SCUMBAG. Everyone's happy you weren't a part of this Super Bowl win because you ditched your squad. You were a helluva player, but you turned your back on the franchise that gave you everything and then tried to style on 'em and get cute. You caught the L instead, son. B**CH!

Listen, I have no problem with a dude retiring early. After all, how many people - whatever their occupation - have the luxury of retiring early? Not many. I even said on the record that I thought Tiki was smart for retiring early with good health in front of him.

My problem with dude is how he didn't waste any time blasting Eli early in the season. That was some slick sh*t. You just don't do that. Tiki was a chump for caving in to a television network's request. He didn't have to dog Eli. Tiki dogged Eli to make a quick name for himself in his new career. Look what happened a-hole.

Now when New York City makes it rain on the Giants today, fallback Tiki and watch it. Talk about it.

SUCKER TB CALL ELI SIRE

HE'S LIKE GOD TO YOU, HE'S LIKE GOD TO YOU!

Ayo, the G-Men victory Sunday had me thinking of the greatest sports upsets of all time. SOHH the kid compiled a list and heeeeere we go!

5. No. 8 Nuggets Eliminate No. 1 Super Sonics

4. Broadway Joe Namath Guarantees Victory

3. 1980 Miracle on Ice: U.S. Beats Soviet Union

2. Giants Defeat Undefeated Patriots (18-1)

What more can I say? The Giants punched the Patriots in the mouth, when everyone and their mamas thought it would be the other way around. Don't F**K WITH ELI!

1. Busta Douglas KOs Iron Mike Tyson

Aight, there's the list. What's your greatest sports upsets!?

The AP reports that team sources say the Heat have traded Shaq Diesel to Phoenix for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I realize Shaq gives the Suns an inside presence they don't have, but at this stage in his career ... I don't know.

Good trade or bad trade? Why? Holla at me!

Ayo, I could have posted only about the Duke-UNC game last night, but I wanted to touch on a lot of different things. SOHH heeeere we go!

SOHH who watched Duke-UNC last night? I will say that the rivalry ain't even close to what it used to be back in the day, but is still tops in the NCAA.

For those who didn't peep the game or catch highlights on SportsCenter, Duke won, 89-78, behind 13-for-29 shooting behind the arc, including Greg Paulus, who knocked down 6-of-8. Paulus is a gutsy type of player.

Before the game, all anyone could talk about is how UNC is too big inside and sure enough Tyler Hansbrough had a monster game with 28 points and 18 rebounds, but Duke shot their lights out. The guy to keep an eye on at Duke is freshman Kyle Singler aka Dirk 2.0. I'm telling y'all. Kid could ball.

I asked y'all up top which team in the L won its 10th straight. The Utah Jazz. D. Will had 29 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in an overtime win over the Nuggets last night.

Moving on to baseball ...

Roger Clemens is deep in his own sh*t. His former trainer handed federal investigators DNA evidence that could link Clemens to enhancers. Come clean, son! You a damn lie!

Also, in baseball, everyone's talking about the signing of Johan Santana to the Mets. Well, the AP reported that other Mets' pitcher Pedro Martinez was involved in a taped cockfight (PAUSE), which was posted and since removed on youtube. (Pardon the ol' school pic).

The animal released by Martinez was killed. My thing is if Vick is doing time, will Martinez? How about Roy Jones? Dude participated in cockfighting his whole life.

Finally ... Eli Manning came through on David Letterman last night. The highlight of the clip comes at the 6:16 mark, when Letterman asks Eli, "What did you feel when you saw him (Belichick) sneaking off the field?" and Eli responds: "I guess he was trying to beat traffic." HA!

Who says Eli don't got a sense of humor!? It's still F the Patriots!

SOHH we talked about a lot: Duke-UNC, Clemens A Damn Lie, the Jazz, Eli and Should Martinez Get Vick Treatment? Speak on all of it! The floor is yours, homies!

Ayo, for the longest the 3-point Contest has been the step child of the Dunk Contest. That's just the way it's been. I mean, yes, dunking is more exciting than shooting from downtown, but it's an ass-backwards way of thinking. Here, think about it like this: Some of these little asshole kids coming up are trying to dunk, dunk, dunk, when they can't hit their free throws and are ice cold from behind the arc.

It's like these kids think dunking gets them two points and a slice of p*ssy (and it might), but shooting the three needs to be a part of your skill set too.

Anyway, this year's 3-Point Contest should be as exciting as any. That's becuase your main man Kobe Bryant, aka the best player in the L (Who's Better?), will participate.

Bryant will join a crop that includes Steve Nash, Detroit's Richard Hamilton, Cleveland's young boy Daniel Gibson, N.O.'s Peja Stojakovic and defending champion Jason Kapono.

SOHH, after knowing the players involved I ask y'all:

CAN KOBE WIN?

K-B-24 is shooting 35 percent from behind the arc. Not too shabby. He'll be trying to add the 3-point title to the dunk championship he won as a rook in the L in 1997. I think he has a good shot. Kobe isn't as pure of a shooter as Peja or even Kapono, but he's a rhythm shooter, SOHH when he gets hot look out!

I think Kobe will have a solid showing, but the title will go to either Peja or Kapono. Peja. That Peja's a baad man from behind the arc. Kapono is shooting 51 percent from downtown this season, though. Damn. Nevertheless, should be fun to see Kobe in the contest.

Flashing back...y'all remember Larry Bird lighting it up in the contest back in the day? The Hick from French Lick. Damn, that dude was coold-blooded, even though he always looked like he had denchers in his mouth.

This clip of Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson engaging in a post-practice shooting contest is dope too. The Hibachi, maan. Look how he's nailing threes with one hand. Dude's tough!

Does anyone plan on watching the Pro Bowl!? Ha! I'm good with football after the Giants won! Super Bowl's enough for me. Thank you.

Your Boy,

SOHH Ballsy

Monday, February 11 ... what up, world?

Maan it was weird flipping on the television Sunday and not having football to watch (no the Pro Bowl doesn't count, come on).

But there was a full slate of basketball on, including two nationally-televised double-headers. The first set was Celtics-Spurs and Heat-Lakers.

The second was the Cavs-Nuggets and Suns-Wizards.

Starting with the Celtics. A lot of y'all sat up in front of your computers on this very blog and posted up comments swearing that Boston would get the sh*t smacked out of it by the Western Conference.

Well, the way I measure the West is through the defending champion Spurs and after the Celtics beat 'em yesterday, they improved to 16-0 against the Left Conference. Ayo, 16-0 is 16-0. And they beat the Spurs yesterday without KG! Paul Pierce, P2, dropped 35, Jesus Shuttleworth had 19 and Rajon Rondo grabbed 11 rebounds (how did the Spurs let that happen?).

Let's give props when and where it's due! It's the regular season, but the Celtics are legit! (They still need a starting point guard, though!) Y'all Boston f**kers need something to be excited about, other than baseball season. Is Belichick still on suicide watch?

Moving on ... maan I like those new-look Lakers with Pau Gasol. They played the new-look Heat with Shawn Marion yesterday. The Lakers won - mainly cause the Heat are still wack - but you can really see how good L.A. can be when watching Kobe, Pau and Odom work together. Throw in young homie Andrew Bynum and the Lakers can be a problem. They can come out the West. YEA I SAID IT. DON'T EVER SLEEP ON KOBE! After that Colorado situation, we know Vanessa ain't! (Damn, that was cold ... Kobe's the man!)

The Nuggets spanked Cleveland by 30 and as I write this the Suns just beat the Wizards. (Shaq was there, but didn't play. Diesel's scheduled to make his Suns' debut on Thursday against the Mavs).

On Friday I brought up the 3-point contest. Well, earlier last week Jason Kapono posted this video of him almost effortlessly draining long bombs.

Then later in the week Rip Hamilton came right back with a youtube vid of his own. I love the intro from Rasheed Wallace, (who will be starting the All-Star Game for the injured KG).

Before bouncing, y'all know hockey ain't exactly a hot topic on SOHH Sports, but I had to bring this up. Last night, Richard Zednick from the Florida Panthers had his throat slashed, when a teammate's skate cut him. He underwent surgery last night to close the gash, the AP reports. Ayooo, this clip shows all the blood on the ice. Uggh. Hope dude recovers fully.

SOHH Shaq had his very first practice with the Phoenix Suns on Monday and dude didn't even bother frontin'. HE WAS TIRED AS SH*T!

"Now I can see why they can go at the pace they play at," O'Neal told the Associated Press. "When you just do short bursts like this, then you can save it all for the game."

Ayo, I love Shaq, man. Dude's no dummy. He always says the right things. At 35-years-OLD (word to Jigga) gone are the days that Shaq's going to average nearly 30 points and 12 rebounds per game (like he did in his Lakers' championship days). Ain't happening. And the Diesel ain't even frontin like he's capable of doing that with the Suns.

"I'm no idiot. I'm not going to come in here trying to take over and take 30 shots," he continued telling the AP. "I'm going to fit in very nicely â€" rebound, outlet to Steve, get some easy buckets, play some defense. That's all we need to do."

BINGO!! The whole reason the Suns traded for him was to get a defensive presence in the paint, an aggressive rebounder and someone who could score easy buckets. CHUUCH! Shaq can still do that. Not as well as he used to, but good enough.

Right now the Diesel is running on cheap unleaded with an injured hip and call me crazy, but if I'm the Suns I'm resting him till the playoffs.

Why? Simple - The Suns own the best record in the West. They got weapons. Nash, Stoudemire, Barbosa, etc. Save him for the playoffs. They don't need Shaq now.

Why not bring him in a little before the playoffs to get in a rhythm or at the start of the postseason!? What do y'all think?

That and dare I ask ... Is Shaq the missing link Phoenix needed to win a championship? Will the Suns win the title running on that Diesel? I think they got a chance!

Holla at your boy! Speak on it!

Let's face it - The dunk contest is still exciting, but nowhere near what it used to be. SOHH, I made this list to salute the Top 5 Dunk Contest Winners of all time. And heeere we go!

5. Spud Webb

4. Jason Richardson

3. Dominique Wilkins

2. Michael Jordan

Here's the 'Nique vs. Mike clip:

1. Vince Carter

Some things just don't make sense (Word to David Tyree)!

Vinsanity - The Best Dunk Contest Winner of All Time!

On a sidenote: Remember when Latrell Sprewell turned down a three-year, $21-million contract extension, saying, "I've got my family to feed" ... well, dude wishes he would have signed now. (By the way what the f**k were his kids eating!?)

Newsday reports that Spree's home is up for foreclosure and his yacht was sold at an auction to help pay off the $1.3 million he owes on the boat, according to court filings.

What happened to your rim business, son? Did Jay-Z shut that down too like he did with the throwbacks?

"Young enough to know the right car to buy yet grown enough not to put rims on it."

Damn, Spree! You Lost! It was all good just a week ago!

Maan, ya'll know when this whole Roger Clemens' steroids-HGH scandal surfaced, I pretty much had the Rocket guilty on all levels. Now, I still think Clemens is guilty, but ayo, did you see any of ESPN's coverage yesterday?

Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee looks and sounds like the biggest creep there is, homie! Dude looks like a cross between Egon from Ghost Busters and a serial killer. He's the living breathing Ken Kaniff from Connecticut!

Dude ... and he's already admitted to lying under oath several times. Watch dude here in this clip.

SOHH, I ask y'all can McNamee's credibility issues pave the way for Clemens to be innocent on all charges!? SPEAK ON IT!

Moving on, let me get into the spirit of Valentine's Day. Rumors are running wild that Reggie Bush has popped the question to Kim Kardashian. Ayo, imagine if they get married? It will be Kim Kardashian Bush. What a F**KABLE NAME.

I repeat ... KIM KARASSHIAN BUSH! That name screams ... f**k me! Ayo, let me stop talking greasy about Reggie's girl (even though Brandy's younger brother hit that) ... I don't want a problem with Reg.

Watch your man, Hugh Hef lock Kardashian down for Playboy.

Out of all athletes' wifeys/jumpoffs, I think Kim's the baddest. AM I RIGHT!? Holla. WHICH ATHLETE GOT THE HOTTEST WIFEY!? Speak on it!

Fri-day! Tomorrow night's fight night, baby! Yeeea!

I'm talking Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor Pt. Deux (Word To Charlie Sheen)!

Now, listen ... the first time these dudes squared up and went for the fair one last September, it got UGGGGLY! Pavlik whaled on Taylor like he stole something or better yet like he hollered at his wife. Peep the clip below and you'll see how nice Pavlik is with his hands.

The way he sets up his right cross with the left jab to stagger Taylor is unbelievable. Then he hits him with a series of rights and lefts and unloads on a couple of uppercuts. Vicious. I'll happily drop down $50 or $20 at the bar, where cats yell out HADOUKEN every time a punch is thrown, to watch a fight like this.

I think your man - HBO commentator Jim Lampley - described Pavlik's vicious knockout the best:

"All you have to know to know how brutal and definitive that knockout was, was that Steve Smoger (ref) waves his arms and says, 'knockout' without even a 10 count and nobody complains. That's all you need to know. That's a violent and definitive knockout. It's precisely because of that, that I'm very surprised that Jermain Taylor insists on going directly to this rematch without another fight or any other experience in between."

Well, I am too, Jim! For real. But don't sleep on Taylor. I like everything dude is saying leading up to the rematch.

Like he's saying why not fight the man that beat him and that this bout will make (OR BREAK) his career.

My thing is it's very hard to come back from a royal ass whoopin' like that and win. Like can y'all imagine Hatton coming back and beating Floyd after the beating Pretty Boy put on him!? I sure as hell can't! I don't see Pavlik getting cocky after the first win and that's why I'm picking him to win again.

But I digress ... SOHH, WHO'S WINNING? HOW? WHAT ROUND!? Speak on it!

And if by any chance you ain't hype about the fight yet (check your pulse, first), peep this three-part HBO preview of Pavlik-Taylor. Who gives a f**k if you at work? It's Friday and the series is dope!

Countdown to Pavlik-Taylor Part. 1

Pt. II

Pt. III

Check me for blogger HGH!

Your Boy,

SOHH BALLSY

LeBron James just captured the All-Star MVP for leading the East to victory with his 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Great.

But we all know when it comes down to 2008 All-Star Weekend in New Orleans (Word to Louweezyana), one name will keep coming up: Dwight Howard.

Ayooooo! Dwight Howard shut that sh*t down! Nah, he shut it DOWN!

Listen, there's a reason why big men don't win the Dunk Contest. For starters ... every dunk they do looks easy. 2) There's no style or grace to their dunks 3) They never dunk to their strengths.

Well, Dwight dunked to his strengths Saturday night.

Dude's first dunk was bananas! Standing behind the hoop, lobbing the ball high up against the backboard, windmilling it, while spread-eagle Superhead-style and flushing it down with his left hand, while his head is still behind the backboard. Whaaaat!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Aaaand ... he made it look easy.

Last year's Dunk champion Gerald Green came back with this creative ass dunk, blowing out the candle on a cupcake, strategically placed on the back of the rim.

Ayoooo, I can't believe dude didn't get a perfect 50 for it. I don't think peeps realize how hard it is to get up thaat high to blow out the candle and then finish that dunk. Ditto for the dunk he did with no kicks on.

LOL @ Charles Barkley telling Magic Johnson to "smack Karl Malone upside the head" and later saying he would "have his back" for giving Green a poor score on the birthday cake dunk.

Even if Green would have grabbed the cupcake, ate it and then windmilled, f**king Mailman would have played him with an 8. Come on, Karl.

Moving on ... Dwight's first dunk entailed the highest degree of difficulty, but to me the Superman dunk was much more entertaining. There's something funny about a near seven-foot dude, who planned to have a Superman outfit underneath his jersey and whose teammate had the cape ready to tie on.

Then dude really tried to get parallel to the floor. Yo, when I first peeped the dunk in live motion, I was like aight, but when I saw the replay I lost my motherf**kin mind! Dude threw that sh*t in. He didn't even grab rim. For a dude that size, my man could jump!

"Superman is in the building." I love Kenny(Smith) on the call.

And you know what I really dig about Dwight Howard winning the Dunk Contest!? The fact that he's actually an All-Star (even though Amare dunked on his head). I think that was definitely the most creative contest of all time, but best? Ehhh...I dunno.

SOHH I'LL THROW IT TO Y'ALL ... WAS THIS THE BEST DUNK CONTEST EVER!? BETTER THAN VINSANITY IN 2000? BETTER THAN MJ & 'NIQUE IN '88? HOLLA AT YOUR BOY!

I know y'all are high on Dwight, but please don't forget ... VC did all this:

Props to Jason Kapono on winning back-to-back 3-Point Shootouts.

Moving on ... Pavlik beat Taylor ... again, just as many of you predicted, but the fight was no slugfest at all. Pavlik won on decision and just as my cousin said, "Nobody got hurt." Pavlik-Taylor I ... JT was hurt!

SOHH letdown or nah? Y'all enjoyed the fight?

Your Boy,

SOHH Ballsy

Ayo, what up world?

In case y'all haven't seen or heard about it yet, Floyd Mayweather aka the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world appeared on a WWF (Sorry, I'm ol school) pay per view Sunday night and snuffed superstar Big Show in the face, (allegedly - according to storyline) breaking his nose.

Now, the Big Show stands at 7-0 and is over 400 pounds easy. SOHH, dude drops to his knees (pause) and lets Floyd take his best shot ... and here's what happened:

Pretty Boy did hit that fool square on the nose. Even if you are the Big Show, that's got to hurt, man. Mayweather then appeared on RAW Monday night to accept a challenge from Big Show. They'll probably drag this out till Wrestlemania on March 30.

SOHH, is this a good look for Pretty Boy?

I think it's a great look for him. First of all WWE CEO Vince McMahon got money (money he got), SOHH Floyd's getting paid. Secondly, you know how many more of Floyd's fans will order the ppv just to see him? Finally, dude will win over extra fans that will order his next boxing fight because we all know our man ain't retiring!

I see it as a win-win. You speak on it!

Moving on...

Andy Pettitte's a damn lie like Clemens, but at least he admitted to it and apologized. He sat there like a man and answered all the press' questions and now dude can move on and play baseball. I ain't mad at him. Are you?

Finally, this may have slipped under the radar, but did y'all see Kimbo Slice f**k up Tank Abott!? Tank's a UFC vet and Kimbo destroyed him. Watch.

I think the only dude that could present a legit threat to Kimbo is...THE UNDERTAKER! My badd...had to go back to the WWE theme.

Your Boy,

SOHH Ballsy

Maan, we all know the Western Conference has been better than the East for nearly the last decade, but the West is as good as it's ever been right now.

Get this - through last night the top nine squads in the West - led by New Orleans and rounded out by the Golden State Warriors - are separated by only five games! That and only two Eastern Conference teams - Celtics, Pistons - would make the cut in the West.

SOHH, with all the trades going on in the West, what did your boy do? I ranked the top five squads in the West. And heere we go!

5. Jazz

4. Mavericks

3. Spurs

2. Suns

1. Lakers

Yes, teams like the Rockets, Nuggets (who beat the Celtics last night) and even the Warriors (I could see pulling another upset, if they make the cut) stand a chance, but I'm ballsy ya diiig?

Call me crazy, but the Lakers will be a problem. Let's see what they do tonight. When Shaq meets Kobe, Suns-Lakers!

Y'all need to holla back on this one! Who's the best squad in the West!?

Ayo, last night's Lakers-Suns game was dope. It was playoff basketball in February, dogs. I'm telling you!

Reports all say Kobe's fingers are injured ... please motherf**ker. Ain't nothing wrong with that man's fingers and if there is something wrong, you would never know it!

Kobe, aka the best baller in the world right now, dropped 41 points to lead the Lakers to a 130-124 victory over the Suns, spoiling Shaq's debut in Phoenix. (And the Knicks lost by 40 last night. Assholes!)

Back to teams that are actually good ... despite the loss, Phoenix is going to be just fine with Shaq. Diesel demands SOHH much attention in the paint that it allows Amare Stoudemire to freelance. Manchild went for 37 points and 15 rebounds (and watch his boards only go up, up, up). As long as he stays healthy, Diesel is gonna make the Suns better.

But even SOHH, I told y'all the Lakers are the class of the West right now. Did y'all see how Kobe and Pau Gasol were linking up last night!? Ayoo ... watch the clip.

THE LAKERS ARE THAT TEAM TO BEAT. I'M TELLING Y'ALL!

Shaq after the game: "Steve Nash instructed me to get my Randy Moss on."

Run big fella!

B. Diddy also beat the Celtics (It's still F Boston) at the buzzer!

Moving on, the Spurs just got really better on the low by adding Kurt Thomas. Y'all may be thinking Kurt Thomas ain't no star, but it's a great pickup. Thomas can D up all the big men in the West and allow Tim Duncan to just focus on offense. Great move.

Finally, I came across this ESPN Magazine with Michael Jordan on the cover. Inside, MJ criticizes Commish David Stern for the way he markets NBA players.

"David Stern hates when I say this, but in some ways he created his own problem. Look at the way the league markets its players. When I came in, they marketed the athletes themselves, how they performed, what they accomplished. To reinvent someone is very difficult. When you say a player is today's Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, the first thing the public will do is compare him to the real Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. When the public doesn't see the same degree of success, you've just dug yourself a deeper hole."

UGGGH! There's a lot of truth to what his Airness is saying. I think off cats like Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas alone, the NBA doesn't need to go that route. Holla at me, man. What y'all think of MJ's comments and the West?

Maan, unless you're living under a rock, you know that Kobe Bryant is running things in the L right now. I think the fact that he's still 29-years-young, we forget that dude has been in the L for 11 seasons.

SOHH let's look back on some of Kobe's best moments:

Youngest starting All-Star ever at 19-years-young/Kobe vs. MJ

In this clip (Kobe's best dunks) alone, just count all of dude's victims: Doug Christie (:18), Tim Duncan (:27), KG (:34), Yao (:42), Steve Nash (1:12), etc. Uggggggggggggh!!!!

Maan, I'm too young to have seen Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, SOHH for me this is it. Kobe's 81. Unbelievable! Dude can seriously go for 100.

Ok, Ok, I can go on and on with these clips. Dude's a killa. But Flashing back to the present and future ... Kobe for MVP. If not young Kobe homie, then who!? LeBron James is having a great season and I know he's carrying Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine, but Kobe is making his teammates better and still dominating himself. It's his year dog.

The Lakers are 37-17 through last night. That's tied for the fourth-best record in the entire L. Whether you love or hate the guy, you got to give him the props he deserves. My man got ice water running through his veins. He lives, sleeps, breathes and shi*s basketball. I wish I could say the same about my Knicks. They just play sh*tty basketball.

Kobe and the Lakers meet the Clippers on Saturday, followed by the
Supersonics on Sunday.

SOHH Kobe for MVP? Holla at your boy!

Aight, I'm guilty. You got me.

These past few weeks, I've been talking about every team from the Lakers to the Spurs, the Jazz, Suns and Mavs as heavyweight favorites to come out the West.

Well, H-Town ... kindly accept the kid's apologies. Your Houston Rockets are taking off. Ayoooo!

The Rockets won their 12th straight game last night, beating the Bulls in Houston. Yea, those Rockets are zoning out right now and on the low, their trade for Bobby Jackson went under the radar, but could turn out big.

OG Bobby Johnson, er, Jackson (but word to South Central), is a pure energy guy that delivers on both sides of the floor. He can knock down the three and his defense on top point guards out West will be huge in the playoffs.

Despite winning 12 straight and 16 of their last 17 games, the Rockets would be only the seventh seed if the playoffs were to start today. Wow! That's how crazy the West is. Maan, you win 12 straight in the East and you could move within the top three. Ha!

Anyway, I must ask y'all: Can the Rockets with T-Mac, Yao and now Bobby Jackson come out the West!? Holla!

Moving on, did y'all see the ass whoopin' that Detroit laid on Phoenix yesterday!? Ayo, I dig Amare Stoudemire's game, but Rasheed Wallace took that dude to school and back, before dropping him off in detention.

For real. The way Ra was hitting those turnaround j's in Amare's grill was something to be seen. At one point during a timeout an assistant coach on the Suns' bench tells Amare that nobody in the world can guard that turnaround. It didn't matter that Amare outscored him 31-22. The tell-all stats were Rasheed got all his in 26 minutes and the Pistons won by 28 points. UGLY! Don't sleep on Deee-troit Basket-ball

Same goes for LeBron and the Cavs. After trading for Ben Wallace, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak, I may have to stop referring to LeBron's supporting cast as Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. Bummer!

Finally, No. 1 Memphis got knocked down by Tennessee, but just realize Derrick Rose was the best player on the court Saturday night. Dude's a badd boy! Acquaint yourselves, bi**hes!

Ayo, y'all knew Floyd 'Money' Mayweather had to be paid to take part in anything the WWE was doing.

But JESUS ... I didn't know it was going to be this much! The Associated Press reports that a $20 million payday awaits Mayweather when he challenges Big Show as part of WrestleMania XXIV at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida on March 30. That's right ... $20 MILLION! WOW!

Here, let Floyd talk to y'all in this clip from the WrestleMania press conference. Look how easily dude stirs up the crowd.

Floyd went on to tell the AP why he's doing it, other than the money:

"It's entertainment. You have a chance to just be you and do what you want to do. Wrestling takes care of business right on the spot. Whatever they say they're going to do, they do it right on the spot. There's no waiting three, four, five months. Quick results, quick money. Quick big money, too."

Wow. I know some of y'all were mad at Pretty Boy's decision last week: http://blogs.sohh.com/sports/2008/02/floyd_mayweather_breaks_wwe_su.html

I can't be mad! $20 million to do a WWE pay per view! Come on ... that money ain't easy to pass up. And don't even start on all that tarnishing his boxing legacy bullsh*t! Whatever he did with the sweet science is set in stone, ya dig!? It ain't changing.

But I will ask y'all:

Is Floyd Mayweather selling out boxing by taking part in WrestleMania? Is he seriously done with boxing? If the money stays this strong, any chance Floyd trades the gloves for wrestling forever? Holla!

Meanwhile...Miguel Cotto wants his piece of Mayweather! Stay tuned...

What up, world!? Last week I hit y'all with the How The West Was Won post:
http://blogs.sohh.com/sports/2008/02/we_major_wednesdays_how_the_we.html

SOHH, it's only right I rep for the East. And heeere we go!

What to Know about the NBA Eastern Conference:

5. The conference is weak!

If the playoffs were to start today, three teams with losing records (Wizards, Nets and Sixers) would make the cut. The Nets and Sixers are both seven games under .500. Ayo, that's kind of sh*tty right there. Only the top three squads in the East would make the cut if they were in the West.

4. Biggie once spit, "If I got to choose a coast, it's got to be the East/I live out there, so don't go there."

But that don't mean a cat can't play in the West. Maan, I was thinking where all the stars in the East have gone? To the mothaf**kin' West! Off the top of my head ... The Diesel back to the West, T-Mac, J. Kidd, A.I. If it weren't for dudes like LeBron, KG, P2, Ray Allen, Detroit's starting 5, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard, the East would be kind of dry.

KG was a big get from the West to the East. And his wifey was an ever better get ... for him.

3. Hate to sound like a hater, but the Western Conference's first-round matchups will be more entertaining to watch than perhaps even the Eastern Conference's finals.

For real. I mean, trust, the Celtics-Pistons, Cavs-Celtics or Cavs-Pistons would be dope to watch, but all the sh*t before that ... trash! Who the f**k wants to watch the Celtics play the Sixers in a seven-game first-round series? UGGGH! I would rather see the Warriors try to pull another upset, ya dig!?

2. It's going to come down to three teams: Celtics, Pistons and Cavs.

The Magic may make things interesting, but that's about it. The other squads in the East don't have a shot. Sorry Toronto.

1. All said, ayo, the East can still win the title!

Yes, before y'all shoot me, listen to the kid's logic. The Celtics or Pistons - if they get a favorable matchup in the Finals - can win it all. The Pistons' off D alone could shut down a high-scoring West squad like the Mavs or Suns. I even think they could beat the Spurs. Go ahead Rasheed, plead your case big homie:

The Lakers ... I don't think the Pistons can beat 'em, but would be interesting.

SOHH, y'all seen the list. Who's coming out the East? Speak on everything!