SHANE SMITH

Cousins has just begun his second season with the Sacramento Kings and has created some of the most underreported locker-room turmoil in the NBA.

Cousins, who was known as a problem child whilst playing for the god-father John Calipari at Kentucky, has demanded a trade(allegedly)  from the Kings who invested the 5^th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft on him.

The Kings knew what they were getting themselves into when they drafted Cousins ahead of Greg Monroe, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Paul George to name a few, but they could not have fathomed that one year into his rookie contract he would be (allegedly) demanding out. This isn’t some situation where a player is griping over playing time or production. Cousins has played in over 28 minutes per game and has started the season averaging over a double double. This demand just seems to be about a lack of connection to the team’s culture and Cousins’ character.

“Kings coach Paul Westphal released a statement before Sunday’s game against New Orleans, saying when Cousins “continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.””-ESPN.com

The Kings seemed to be heading in a great direction, with Cousins at the core of the team. Now they have to regroup and may be set back immensely due to Cousins inability to control his ego. Teaming up Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thorton, JJ Hickson, Chuck Hayes, and Jimmer Fredette,  Cousins and company was primed to be a force in the future of the Western Conference.  Now the Kings have to see what best offer they can get for this freakishly talented cancer.

Cousins is a player of immense talent, and immense stupidity. It doesn’t take more than googling “DeMarcus Cousins fight” to find dozens upon dozens of different incidents where Cousins takes a cheap shot at a smaller player (poor Luke Ridinour), cries about a call, or gets ejected for his second technical. It is pretty remarkable to actually see a team be willing to remove its top 5 pick from a year ago and give up working with him; that alone speaks to the self-centered bonehead Cousins truly is.

Now the question remains, who takes a shot on DeMarcus? What teams can handle his idiocy to be able to see a return of investment with his talent for the long haul?  Will someone be willing to deal a first round pick for him or will the Kings be forced to take back next to nothing for a player with all-pro potential? With all the trade chatter lately focusing on Dwight Howard maybe the potential of sending Cousins to Orlando opens up a three team trade chat, or maybe an aging team lacking an inside presence like the Celtics gives the kid a chance.

Regardless of who the Kings end up selling Cousins off to, all I know is this… Cousins will not succeed in the NBA unless he moves to a no non-sense team. Cousins best shots would be in Boston with seasoned veterans and Doc Rivers, San Antonio with Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich, or maybe as a rebuilding piece in Cleveland under Byron Scott. Who knows where Cousins ends up, but honestly if this guy can’t survive a year with his talent on a team like Sacramento, I think his lack of maturity is going to cost him an incredible career. (and honestly I hope it does and his childish behavior sets an example for future players to not follow)

Photo: AP

SCOTT JACOBS

He was larger than life.  Literally.  Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal  was the biggest, and still continues to be, the biggest person I have ever encountered in my life.  I had the good fortune of meeting and interviewing him briefly back in 2006 when the Miami Heat were holding a charity event for Thanksgiving in Overtown Miami.

Shaq was different.  In every way.  He was a big clumsy kid growing up who was teased mercilessly for his big feet, and big hands.  He was an army brat, raised by a family that believed strongly in education.  He was a bright guy who sported athleticism that was pretty much unfathomable for his size and a smile that a nation fell in love with.

He could show up out of shape and still show up entire teams.  He was the peanut butter to Kobe Bryant’s jealousy.  The ultimate fall guy when L.A.’s Four Peat attempt was unraveled by the pesky Pistons, unraveling one of sports’ great twenty first century dynasties with it.

Shaq brought down rims and he brought down teams.

His brute force made him a beloved icon in Orlando, after he was drafted first overall by the Magic in the 1992 Draft.  The LSU star took the league by storm his first season running away with the 1993 Rookie of the Year award and leading a previously nameless team into national prominence. In three years the Magic went from worst to almost first behind the Daddy, advancing all the way to the NBA Finals.  It seemed like a marriage that would last forever.

But just two years later Shaq took his massive numbers and his massive frame and switched coasts, stunning the hoops world by bolting to the Lakers via free agency.  His defection crushed Orlando, who behind Penny Hardaway stayed relevent, but was never a true title contender.  It wasn’t until another league worst record, that the Magic recouped the league’s top center, this time a man by the name of Dwight Howard.

Once in Los Angeles, Shaq fit right in with the oversized ego of the city.  He used his star to inexplicably get put into movies, such as two trainwrecks that immediately come to mind (Kazaam in ‘96 and Steel in ‘97).  He made rap albums.  And music videos.  He was even a director.  Tell me if you’ve heard of this one: Cousin Skeeter in 1998?  It was a TV series. Whatever.

People remember his Laker times fondly, but Superman didn’t win a ring until year four of his Hollywood extravaganza.  In fact, it wasn’t until Phil Jackson came to coach the team that Shaq got his first ring.  From there the Lakers and Shaq were as much a part of pop culture as Hollywood itself, reeling off three straight championships, Shaq netting three straight Finals MVPs.

He was too good for his own good.  Shaq finishes his career with just one regular season MVP.  But he was so unique that they had to rewrite the rule book.  Hack-A-Shaq emerged while he was with the Lakers, an infamous ploy utilized by desperate western conference teams in the playoffs to try to slow him down, while taking advantage of his putrid foul shooting.  That was one thing Shaq never quite got the hang of (his best year at the line ironically came in 2002-03 when he shot 66%.  Ironic because it was the last time he was the focal point of a championship team).

Shaq was a monster on the offensive end, attracting double teams everywhere he went.  In his first fourteen years in the league he never averaged less than 21 points a game.  How good was Shaq?  His rookie year with Orlando he averaged 23.4 ppg, nearly 14 rebounds a game, and 3.5 blocks a contest.  Interestingly enough though, he never averaged 30 points in a season.  Given the great talents he’s been compared to such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it’s an interesting point of emphasis considering Chamberlain once averaged not 30, but 50 points in a season! (That coming in 1961-62, long before Shaq was even alive).

But Shaq had his lion’s share as well. He shot 50% from the field in every season.  Including whatever you want to call his last few in the league with Cleveland and Boston.

He was the scapegoat.

After the Lakers lost to Detroit in ‘04, Los Angeles decided they were ready to move on, not wanting to give an aging Shaq the exorbitant contract he craved.  It started a bidding war — with the Miami Heat winning his services in a swap that only cost them Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and Caron Butler. All quality players — none close to Shaq.  Shaq’s dismissal — this time his fault or not, buried L.A. in a few years of rebuilding mode, until Memphis decided to hand L.A. the services to one, Pau Gasol.

Miami threw Shaq one hell of a party upon his arrival (sound familiar?), and he was bestowed the key to the city — an honor he was given in just about every city he arrived in.  With water guns a squirting and a jubilant Mickey Arison, Shaq proclaimed that the Heat would win a championship under his watch.  They did.  Only it was Dwyane Wade who carried Miami to their first title two years after Shaq’s arrival.  While Shaq had some good games with the Heat, and was second in MVP voting his first year with the team, his arrival in South Beach, brought the slow painful decline for Shaq Diesel.  People tend to forget that an aging Alonzo Mourning was much more effective against the Mavericks in the ‘06 Finals than Shaq was.

But Shaq’s presence completely revitalized the Heat and their national appeal.  His arrival helped convince veterans like Gary Payton to come aboard for one last go at it, and the Glove was a key piece in helping the Heat win the title they so desperately craved.  Shaq helped get Flash on the map.  Shortly, Flash wanted no part of his new popular nickname, choosing to be his own man.

Which brings us full circle to my first and only encounter with Shaq Daddy.  I’ll never forget the day: November 16, 2006 in a crammed gym in a bad area of Miami.  Media members were everywhere.  The Heat were attempting to repeat with almost the same roster as the year before (a fatal mistake given how old that team was).  A greatful Pat Riley, when asked what he was most greatful for, said something that always stuck with me: “I thank the good lord on Thanksgiving or around Thanksgiving. I actually have 15 healthy players.”  Two days later Shaq got hurt, leading to a snowball of misfortune or misery for a Miami team that would be bounced by the Bulls in a pathetic first round sweep.  Talk about one of the all-time kiss of death statements.

The wheels fell off after that.  Shaq was great when he cared.  Shaq was great when he was the Kingpen or at the very least, a big part of the spotlight on a big-time team.  But when things got bad, he bolted.  Miami brought him back in just the second year of a 5 year $100 million contract in 2007-08, but he couldn’t avoid a slew of injuries and began to miss games.  When he played he looked indifferent to the game.  When Wade was lost for the year that was the final straw for Shaq’s Miami tenure.

He brought hope everywhere he went.  Including a belaguered Suns franchise, that has been as consistently good as any team in the sport, but has still to this day never won a championship.  Shaq’s trade to Phoenix — still one of the most dumbfounding and shocking trades in sports history, made the Suns the talk of the league.  But talk is cheap.  Upon his arrival Shaq pointed to his ring finger comforting Suns fans that he would win them a ring.  He didn’t.  In fact, he never got the Suns out of the first round.  The Seven Seconds or Less Suns were killed by Shaq’s arrival, and in the end it cost Mike D’Antoni his job.

But Shaq rejuvenated his sagging career in the desert, where he found new life with Phoenix’s trainers.  All of a sudden Shaq was able to stay healthy, something Heat fans will forever question.  Did Shaq not care if he didn’t have a chance to win?  Many people came to believe as much.

Still, Shaq’s career in Phoenix was defined by a whole lot of hype and a few memorable plays, like the one time he jumped full speed ahead into the crowd in a game versus the hated Spurs in an attempt to corral a loose ball.

Fans loved him for his goofy antics, like when he would sprint down the court after nailing a second foul shot.  But late into his career Shaq became more of a gimmick than a savior.

Cleveland brought him on board to pair with LeBron James, but the duo never worked from the get-go.  The cost of acquiring Shaq?  Two players who would be bought out and a draft pick.  The Cavs threw O’Neal a hero’s welcome, but once again he was all glitz and no ring.  The Cavs were one of the NBA’s best teams that year, but Shaq couldn’t stay healthy, and when he was, he was rendered ineffective.  His 12 ppg his lowest average until…

He ended up in Boston for one last go around.  Rather than retiring years earlier when he was still relevent, Shaq choose to hang around about four years too long.  He loved his name in the headlines.  It often was.  But in Boston Shaq was once again a side show.  He was hope that couldn’t stay healthy.  The difference maker so many analysts proclaimed against Miami, that could barely get off the bench.

Through it all Shaq was charismatic, charming, funny, obnoxious, rude, lazy, reborn, and a master at selling people promises — falsely or not.  He was the NBA’s golden god.  People worshipped at the altar of Shaq.

I remember that day at the gym, when I met him.  He extended his enormous hand to shake mine, and I was afraid he was going to crush me into dust.  But it was the gentlest handshake I’ve ever had.  Almost as soft spoken as his voice.

Shaq was different.  In a day and age of athletes who were afraid to be themselves, he was outgoing, personable, fun, someone you really wanted to like.  But he was far from perfect and could be a real jerk.

He loved to burn bridges.

“I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys,” O’Neal infamously told the Boston Globe back in 2008, just days after being dealt from a Heat team that was killed by injuries and had sunk to the bottom of the standings. “We have professionals who know what to do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I’m actually on a team again.”

You won’t hear anyone bring that up today.  No, this is Shaq’s day.  Of all the days that he could announce his retirement, Shaq picked the day after that same Miami Heat team moved within 3 wins of another championship, something he has coveted but never again won since departing South Beach.  Anyone else find that a little odd?  Or arrogant for that matter?

But he was great with the media and he did everything he possibly could to build a brand.  From Icy Hot commercials (which became comical in his twilight days as the computer would alter his generic team’s jersey because he kept moving around) to his Shaq Versus show, Shaq was a big kid.  He owned nice cars and bought big mansions.  On Star Island in South Florida he once coughed up $20 million for a house.

He had nicknames, so many nicknames.  Some were clever, some downright nasty.  He was a cop, a student in a Sports broadcasting class, a conductor for a day, and soon he says, he’ll have his Ph.D to go along with a Masters.  The man was no dumby.

He did things his way.  His official press conference to formally announce his retirement will be held Friday at where else — but his house.  Like a good politician he knows how to stroke egos, and he knows the media will give him more leeway for doing so.

He was one of sports’ most fascinating figures and a sure fire First Ballot Hall of Famer. He was the epitome of power and a master marketer.  Shaq took advantage of every opportunity that came his way and then some during his 19 year career.  He also was a great guy in the community and loved putting smiles on people’s faces whenever he could.  Who could forget Shaq-A-Claus?

Some people still love him, some despise him: but you can’t ignore the fact that throughout his 19 year career and 15 All Star appearances he truly was larger than life.  Shaq the player retired today, but Shaq the character isn’t going away anytime soon.

Photo: Reuters

JIM RUBERA
(Rubera writes for The Spop)

After screaming to the crowd and dramatically hyperventilating, Lebron found an open patch of floor and dropped to a knee to thank the Lord.  He sought out Doc Rivers, gave him a long hug and told him he loved him.  He spoke to interviewers about the monkey being off his back, exorcising the Celtic demons, and saying that this was why he came to Miami.  And ESPN, SI, Sportsline, Yahoo, NBC Sports, an the newspapers all concur that the Heat have arrived.

Arrived where?  The third round?  Yay.

What Lebron, Wade, and Bosh did last year was devastating not just to their reputations.  It also set off a chain reaction that is and will continue to be devastating to the league itself.  Since they joined forces, two superteams are already in the making with a lucky one or two others being worked on for after the 2012 season.  They’re all wanna-be Heat, but no combination of them will amount to the two best players in the league plus Bosh.  Nevertheless, the next batch of superstars will still crush their current fan bases by leaving and will unwisely snub GMs whose teams are better fits because they will want to chase and replicate Miami.

The Bulls put together Rose, Boozer, and Noah and will undoubtedly add another key piece this summer.

The Knicks got what they wanted with Amare and Carmelo, and are also under the cap and in position to lure a premiere point guard.

There are big names approaching free agency that will either sign with or demand a trade to teams that need a final piece to complete their trifectas.  Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Kevin Love, and Dwight Howard are among the top names in the conversation.  And don’t think Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett won’t jump on for a free ride somewhere when the Celtics tell them to screw off after losing in the second round again next season.

When the dust settles next year, there will be a handful of superteams that have assembled by choice, not by good drafting or crafty trades by GMs.  And then there will be the rest.  The other 25 or 26 teams that have been stripped dry, trying to compete with their one All-Star and a bunch of role players.

That is the landscape that Lebron has set in motion.  And if it works for him and the Heat and they win five of the next seven championships, then good for them.  It was worth it.  But a) None of those other superteams teams will be as good as Lebron and Wade and b) Lebron and Wade might not be that good anyway.  But either way, we are then left with 80% of NBA cities that will have lost interest in the sport.

This all comes back to the original question.  What have they accomplished?  Why all the praise after beating the Celtics?  Look how they won.

• Rajon Rondo, who everybody agreed is the key to the Boston offense, suffered an injury that would have sidelined him 6-8 weeks in the regular season.  (Reported by Celtics insider Mike Gorman of CSN New England)
• With the score tied in the 4th quarter of Game 2, Miami went on a 14-0 run to win.
• Down by 6 in the 4th quarter of Game 5, Miami went on a 16-0 run to finish the game.  The Celtics did not score a single point in the last four and a half minutes.
• Jeff Green inexplicably, and without being pressured, fumbled away two possessions in crunch time in games 4 and 5 when a Celtics basket would have changed the complexion of either game.
• The Celtics scored 4 points in the overtime period of Game 4.

This is not playing “only if” or making excuses for the Celtics.  They sucked and Miami deserves the credit for outplaying them.  But the Heat strategy was simple though.  They stayed within ten points for the first 43 minutes and turned on the jets at the end when they knew the older and injured Celtics would be out of gas.  Very good.  Very smart.  Obviously effective.

But can anybody honestly think that Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, or Kevin Durant will allow their teams to not score a single point during a four minute stretch to close out a game?  On two separate occasions?   Probably not.  And the Heat will have to face two out of three of those guys if they want to accomplish the goal that should be in their sights.

If the games were 40 minutes long, Miami would have lost the series 4-1.  Unfortunately for Boston, they can’t play a full game anymore.  Unfortunately for the Heat, the teams they’re about to play can.  Maybe Lebron should have been praying for help when he was on one knee instead of thanking God for making it out of the second round.  David Stern might want to join him.

Photo: AP

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SCOTT JACOBS

It wasn’t The Finals.  It wasn’t even the Eastern Conference Finals, but Miami needed to oust the champs – the fading, aging, beat up, almost unrecognizable by the end of the series Celtics – to get closer to their goal.  Boston’s bodies were brittle, their window of opportunity closing, but they were the giant green Goliath in the room that Miami had to defeat to prove to the world that this experiment could work.

Mission accomplished.

Even if Boston isn’t the team they once were – Pierce is 33, Garnett is 34, and Ray Allen is 35 – and that surplus of depth down low couldn’t stay healthy all year – and it seemed like everyone on their team was hurt at some point or another in this series or this season – knocking out the C’s is still an accomplishment.  It still means a lot.  It’s a major stepping stone to developing championship caliber level camaraderie and confidence that yes – the Heat can go the distance.

It’s not the tell all series, but it’s a big-time start.  Shedding their bugaboo of folding late when the games got air-tight, Miami dispensed of the team that they molded themselves after with a furious finish – outscoring Boston in the final 4:32 16-0, and finally breaking free from a Celtics team that led almost the entire way.

LeBron James hit two huge late threes – the first one coming with 2:12 to go to give Miami the lead, and from there the Heat never looked back – watching a Celtics lineup of Nenad Kristic, Delonte West, Jeff Green, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen self-destruct the rabid white shirt-clad Heat fans into a frenzy.

After it was over LeBron and Wade hugged, knowing their 67 points were absolutely critical to “exorcise the demons,” as coach Erik Spoelstra so eloquently proclaimed.

They’re just halfway to their ultimate goal – but if you look at it with a glass half full kind of mindset, it’s a massive 50% of the way.

This is the kind of series win Miami’s Big Three envisioned when they joined forces back in July.  Again, they did the heavy lifting and the bulk of the scoring – combining for 81 of Miami’s 97 points.  This game was different though.  Down 87-82, James Jones hit a massive three pointer – a shot from one of ‘The Others’ as I termed them the other day – and it completely changed the outlook of the game. Miami’s crowd – which had been skeptically antsy throughout the night, finally woke up and from there the Heat never relented.

So here they are – the second team into the second to last round, the Conference Finals, where they will face either the Chicago Bulls or the Atlanta Hawks: two teams who are significantly more athletic and deeper than the C’s.  O yeah, they’re also younger.

So Miami’s next opponent will be left to deal with the Tri-Nasty, because quite frankly the rest of the team usually brings nothing offensively.  Again, the Heat are looking to do what no team in NBA history has ever done, namely win a championship on the shoulders of two superstars, one pretty good player and just about nothing else.  Today, they got one step closer to that goal.

It’s unconventional, it looks even whackier on paper, but that’s how it’s going to be if this Heat team is going to win the second title in franchise history.  Clearly that’s the game plan.  Play stifling, rugged defense, hold teams under 100 points (which is exactly what they did against Boston), and let their stars be stars – with a hint of supporting cast a few plays a game.

When LeBron and Wade can finish games like this it’s hard to question the plan.  But they put a ton of pressure on themselves to be dynamite every night not ever knowing what The Others – including Bosh are going to give them.

In the offseason Miami will have some money to spend and will have a chance to find guys who can contribute and score.  They need a point guard, some athletic bench guys who aren’t pushing 38 – and a few big guys who can govern the paint and enforce the middle.

But that’s for next year.  This Heat team is eight wins away from a championship.  Their way.  Whether fans of equal contribution like it or not.

SCOTT JACOBS

LeBron James stared down the white-tshirt clad crowd, his arms by his side, his head tilted downward, and let out a loud scream.  He looked over to the Celtics bench, an exasperated Celtics bench and gave them ‘the look.’  The Look of a man determined.  The look of a man on a mission.  The look of a man who was tired of the criticism and ready to prove the doubters wrong.  The look of a man ready to exorcise demons and up for the challenge of extinguishing the rival Celtics.

All season long, and ever since the well scrutinized and even more well hyped formation of the Tri-Nasty, the question was could Miami’s Big Three all share one ball, and create the type of chemistry necessary — with just veteran minimum players and young guys — to win an NBA title in their first year together.

All year long the debate has had it’s ebbs and flows.  Miami’s miserable 9-8 start had coach Erik Spoelstra’s head on the chopping block.  A red hot December including a dominant Christmas Day win over the gold standard Lakers had pundits and sports fans alike buzzing over just how good this team could be.  A 5 game losing streak in early March which included a total collapse against Orlando, a bad loss against the Knicks, and a 30 point pasting against San Antonio, had people jumping off the bandwagon and off a cliff.  And then they finished the year 16-3, beating the Spurs, Grizzlies, and maybe most importantly Celtics — to emphatically lock up the East’s number 2 seed, and more importantly home court in the second round.

It’s been a rollercoaster and a well documented one at that — but today the view from the top is magnificent, after the Heat deposited the Celtics for a commanding 2-0 series lead, their third straight win over the team that for much of the season they couldn’t beat.  Now the Celtics head back to Boston, reeling, the Heat to Beantown red-hot, and the Tri-Nasty is out-starring the Big Four in a big way.

LeBron James paced the Heat with 37 –  including a dazzling display of athleticism, three point shooting, and deft touch — as The King helped break open an 80-80 tie with an array of big time shots.  The result was a 14-0 Miami run, and the Celtics found themselves playing catchup the rest of the night.

The Miami Heat– the most scrutinized 58 win team in the history of the NBA — was grilled for not being able to beat the good teams all year.  Maybe they were just waiting for the big stage.  The Heat are now 3-0 against the Boston after losing their first 3 to the C’s dating back to the regular season — those 3 all huge wins.  That talk of Miami not having what it takes to beat the mighty Celtics all looks pretty foolish right now — as the Heat have Boston scrambling, and probably wishing they hadn’t dealt away their enforcer — Kendrick Perkins.

Without a down-low threat Miami has been able to drive to the basket some times at will, and LeBron and Wade each took turns in the sun tonight — Wade taking over in a flash to end the first half, and James with his epic third quarter — just how they probably drew it up when they all made this pact in the offseason.

And while Miami’s bench didn’t provide much in the way of points — Joel Anthony once again was a beast down low on D, Big Z gave everything he had no matter how awkward it looked, and Mike Bibby even chipped in some quality hustle moments and a few points too.  The Heat are not a deep team offensively — sans their star triumvirate, but they play defense as tough and wily as anyone in the league.  That suffocating defense has opened up a fastbreak that has been unstoppable against the slower C’s.

From Wade totally faking out a confused Kevin Garnett in the second quarter for a spectacular layup, to LeBron bulldozing through Ray Allen en route to a powerful dunk, the Heat let their fastbreak fly, and the Celtics couldn’t handle it.

Because of it, it’s safe to say that the Heat look like the big-time title threat that they envisioned for themselves, and I would argue the best basketball team in the NBA right now.  Memphis is tougher inside.  Dallas is deeper overall.  Los Angeles is definitely bigger.  The Hawks are more athletic.  And yet none of it matters.

Because with breakfast out of the way in the pesky Sixers, the Heat are thoroughly enjoying dinner at the big boys table, and looking every bit the part.  With the Lakers looking vulnerable, and the Bulls fragile, it’s not a stretch to say that right now Miami should be the favorite to win the NBA title.

Their confidence growing by the day, their chemistry at the best it’s ever been, the Miami Heat are no longer the team that hype sold and when they played folded.  They’re the rough and ready to rumble squad that plays great D for 48 minutes and has two elite scorers who can leave you blue in the face after trying to run their amazing race.

Miami has it’s flaws.  It’s point guard situation is still unsettled.  it’s center position — although clearly Anthony’s — is not much of a threat offensively, and it’s three point shooters are still wildly inconsistent.  But the Tri-nasty is so lethal that some games none of that matters.

The Heat have Wade and LeBron.  No one else does.  When they’re clicking, look out.  The Celtics Big Three is down 2-0 for the first time and Miami looks like they’re just getting started.

Photo: Reuters

SCOTT JACOBS

Miami and Boston have been neck and neck in the Eastern conference standings, and aside from those surprisingly good Chicago Bulls, have clearly pulled away as the class of the Eastern conference.  And that’s not much of a surprise, considering that Boston is coming off Finals appearances in 2 of the last 3 years, and Miami has a Tri-nasty.

So when we asked you back in October to this very day, who do you look to claim what was once called the lesser conference (not any more) we expected a close race.  We just didn’t think it’d be dead even.

Boston may have won the season series, but your love for Miami and Boston is equal.  37.3% to 37.3%.  Doesn’t get any closer than a tie, now does it?  The Magic collected 16.4% of your vote, with the field garnering just 9.0%.  No love for Chicago eh sports world?

Considering we’re now at the All-Star break this seemed like as good a time as any to retire this poll and move onto a new one.

Some quick fun facts before we wrap this puppy up:

> The Heat got votes from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and India

> Who likes the field?  At least one person from Lima, Peru does.

> As for the Celtics, well they got some votes from Bangladesh, Taiwan, and even Australia.

> The Magic apparently haven’t quite developed that global presence yet, so maybe Dwight Howard isn’t quite Superman after all.

Photo: AP

SCOTT JACOBS

It dawned on me today watching the Rockets-Lakers, after taking in a forgettable Heat opening effort, that what Miami is missing right now, is something you cannot measure on paper.  You can’t measure it in talent either.  While the chemistry was off all night for the new look Heat, there was something that should have been obvious from the second they agreed to form this Tri-nasty.

Miami needs roles.  The Heat needs to figure this out.  I think alot of people just expected Miami’s talent big three to blow anybody out of the water, but it’s going to take more than stats to win.  The Lakers and Rockets have their go to guys, they have their steeley veterans, their scrappy fighters, and their clutch shooters.  Everyone knows their role.  The ball movement is crisp.  They play cohesively as a unit.

When Miami took the court, I kind of just expected them to light the world on fire. But instead, they put together a horrific 9 points on the board in the first 12 minutes.  It was to say the least, a lackluster performance to start this new era.  Miami needs to be more then three.  They need their other guys to come through. All of this takes time.

Maybe I bought into the hype too fast.  Maybe the whole glitz and glamour of this great psychology experiment is greater right now than the sum of its parts.  Expecting Miami to compete with the defending Eastern Conference champs now feels foolish.  Miami’s like that celebrity child star, who grows up on TV.  You see the good, the bad, and the many growing pains.  That’s what Miami has to expect this year.

Everyone’s gunning for them.  Win or lose, every game they play will be a story.  They have talent, but not cohesion.  They have pizzazz but not substance… yet.

What they really need is an offensive system.  They need to be more then jump shooters living on the baseline.  They need to have better ball movement, crisper passes, better awareness of where each other is on the court.

That comes with time.  That comes with experience.  That comes with players who know their roles.

On paper Miami looks like a champion.  On the court they looked like a very flawed product.  An unfinished product.  The dynamics have yet to be developed.  Over the long haul players will learn their roles, the ball movement will improve, the other guys on this team will contribute.

Because if they don’t, the world’s coolest team on paper will never amount to anything.  Three players an NBA team doesn’t make. This isn’t NBA Jam 98.  This is 5 on 5.

It’s just one game.  No need to panic. But there’s a reason the Lakers are back to back champions and the Celtics have won the East two of the last three years.  Everyone knows their roles.  Miami’s learning on the fly.  That was very evident tonight.

Baby steps.  All offseason they acted like they had this all down.  The reality is Miami has a long, long way to go.

SCOTT JACOBS

The nearly two week delay was over.

Finally!

Alex Rodriguez blasted his 600th home run yesterday.  Against Toronto.  In the middle of the day.  In the first inning.

The ball landed in the netting out in center field and faded from view.  Yankee fans stood and cheered.  His teammates who have been with him through so much since his arrival in the Bronx stood at the top of the dugout, witnesses to history.  A-Rod embraced Derek Jeter at home plate in a warm hug and jogged lighty towards the dugout, high-fiving and hugging teammates, a big smile on his face.  Or maybe it was relief.  

600.

And yet in the sport that celebrates milestones like no other, this felt dry.  In New York it was celebrated.  Then again in San Fran so was Barry Bonds way back when.  So what, right?

But elsewhere it just feels like blah.  Like an entertaining movie that started off great, slowed down dramatically halfway through, and by the time it got to the end it just sort of didn’t matter because you didn’t care about the character enough.

That’s A-Rod if you ask me.  Once he admitted to being a former steroid-user in his Texas days, his credibility as a premiere slugger took an irrevocable hit.  600 home runs should matter.  It should be a huge deal.  Instead, it’s just another historic feat reached by a clouded superstar.

So yeah, he’s the youngest and he may one day reach 700 and who knows maybe 800 and beyond.  But in the end it doesn’t matter anymore.  We’ve tired of the home run hoax.  No one wants to see any more smoke and mirrors, so even what’s real is getting caught in the windshield and getting smudged away.

The feeling here is this: 600 should be a big deal, but we’ve gone through this home run trot so many times before, like Brett Favre going through retirements that we’re pretty much sick of it.  It’s just a nice dog doing old tricks.  We want to see a new dog pulling off new tricks.  Steroid free please.

Shaq signs with another contender, immediately becomes media-relevant again

But still not good. Give him whatever stupid nickname you want, the guy is no longer good.  He’s only considered a decent center because that position has lost its relevance in the league.  Shaq brings hype everywhere he goes (which is everywhere lately, but he hasn’t delivered squat in a really long time).  He only stands to get worse these next two years, his health is an issue, his ego always becomes a distraction, and he just takes up space.  His free throw shooting is atrocious, he’s not a game-changer, and he probably makes Rajon Rondo worse.  With Shaq comes the name, but the production is bordering on minuscule.  He might make the Celts worse. Just saying.

Brett Favre retires through a text message than un-retires without committing to anything again

What’s new?

SCOTT JACOBS

Kobe Bryant has been business-like and practically emotionless this entire 2010 NBA Finals.  With his eyes on the prize, and a razor sharp focus as brute and untouchable as any athlete in team sports, it was hard to tell just how much another title would mean to Black Mamba.

He answered that question emphatically.

After a strange, but gutsy come from behind game seven win to clinch L.A.’s– yawn– 16th NBA Title, Bryant jumped on the scorer’s table, let out a loud scream, pumping his fists into the air.  He stretched his arms out, bird like really, and exhaled.

Title number five.  Another repeat.

Next year the chance to go for a second three-peat.

“This is the sweetest,” Bryant confidently chided as he stood on the podium, after receiving the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy.

It was far from the prettiest to watch.  L.A. shot just 32% from the field, but it was an absurd parade to the line that kept them afloat and eventually pushed them ahead.  The Lakers missed 12 free throws, but got to the charity stripe an agonizing 37 times.

The Lakers clinched their 16th NBA championship shooting 20% from the three point line, incredibly bad numbers from a poorly played game.  Until the final few minutes, when two proud franchises finally woke up and gave us a show this one looked like it would go down in the history book as one of the poorest game 7 performances by two teams in history.

And I know this is played out, but once again, the Grizzlies trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers continues to look like one of the all-time worst trades in the history of sports. In three years Gasol and the Lakers have been to the Finals 3 times, winning it the last 2 years.

So as the Lakers celebrate yet another NBA championship, the Celtics are left to ponder what if.  Up 13 in the 3rd quarter the Celtics looked like world-beaters on their way to an 18th championship.  But then the game got rough, and the Celtics appeared to lose their edge, tiring out as the game hung in the balance.

They ultimately came up short, losing two straight after landing in L.A. confidently ready to knock out the defending champs.

Ironically it was the Lakers’ all everything Bryant who seemed gassed after another long post-season run.

“I ran out of gas,” said an exhausted Kobe after the game.

The Lakers freight train over the NBA on the other hand is still going strong.

Three peat in 2011?  Who saw that one back in 2008!

O right, Memphis.  What, too soon?

SCOTT JACOBS

What was that?  Seriously, what in the world was that?

An exhibition game in October?  It certainly didn’t look like an NBA Finals game in May.  Nevermind the game that could have clinched the Celtics another NBA banner.

After shooting the lights out in game 5, the Celtics, confident and ready, came into L.A. and barely shot 33% from the field.  Huh?  It’s like the wrong Boston team boarded the plane.  That couldn’t have been an NBA team that close to an NBA title.  No way, no how.  I don’t care how good L.A. was on this night.  67 points in the NBA Finals?  It’s a joke.  An embarrassment.  A concession that if the Lakers weren’t going to hand the Celts the trophy Boston was going to wait till game 7 to bring their A game.  Or maybe just a game for that matter.

Kendrick Perkins getting injured early certainly didn’t help, but lets not put this loss on his husky shoulders.  The Celtics were just flat out beat today.  Like a kid in his first day of karate versus Jackie Chan.  And no, those weren’t stunt doubles.  Though that would make more sense then what Boston showcased on Tuesday.

The Celtics who almost made the Lakers bigs look normal on Sunday, came back promptly to the Staples Center and were pummeled on the boards by 13.

By the end of a brutal 22 point loss that shifts all the momentum back into the Lakers’ corner, the Celtics looked, well, old again.  Ah the fine line between veteran team and washed up has beens!

The Lakers pummeled Boston despite just getting three players in double figures.  That Suns series sure seems like a distant memory with every passing day. Not only did L.A. not come close to breaking 100, they didn’t even make it to 90.

So we get a game 7.  But it’s on uncomfortable terms.  Perkins injury.  Boston’s pitiful performance in game 6.  Is it that hard to inspire a team on the verge of an NBA title?  28 other teams would have killed to be in Boston’s position on Tuesday night.

Maybe I’m short changing the Lakers here.  Maybe they just suffocated the life out of Boston’s offensive attack (can we still call it that?) with their stifling D, and effective O.  Maybe the Lakers played like they had more to lose, because quite frankly, they’ve run out of games that they can lose.  Maybe L.A. is just better.  Maybe making logic of a game that made no sense is an exercise in futility.

But this game 7 we get on Thursday is no longer the final chapter to an epic series.  This was a clunker of epic proportions.  With an aging team that may never get back here given all the tread on their tires, and the fact that KG can no longer jump anymore, the last thing I would have ever expected was for Boston to take a listless beating at the hands of their nemesis.

But that’s what happened. That’s exactly what happened.

So on Thursday the NBA plays its final game of the 2010 season.

Pray it be competitive.

Photo: Reuters