The Finals are in Town

Yup, it's that time of year again. The ultimate basketball prize is on the line as the NBA finals start.
As if on cue, two decades after the Lakers and Celtics historic finals battles, they will once again clash on the NBA's biggest stage. It is no surprise that the people of Los Angeles and Boston are all saying the same thing, "We're Back!" The Celtics and Lakers both have rich histories and rivalrys. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird went at it in the 80's. Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce will do it now. Ever since the Kevin Garnett trade, the Celtics knew this was where they would be. The Lakers, on the other hand, with Kobe Bryant questioning the team's dedication and asking for a trade, were not expected to make it this far. When Mitch Kupchack went from lousy GM to basketball guru after his brilliant Pau Gasol trade, the tables turned. The average Joe would choose the Celtics to win because of their 66-16 regular season. But the Celtics have struggled mightily on the road during the post season and Kobe Bryant as always will be tough to contain but will also shut down Ray Allen at the other end of the floor. Also, Pau Gasol should pose a threat to Kevin Garnett. Therefore, it is up to Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant to carry their teams. My prediction: Celtics in 6. You heard it here first on The Flaming Nose! Coverage begins on June 5th, ABC 9:00 ET

Introducing Michael G; TFN Sports Prodigy

"Air allows me to live; sports is my life" ....Michael G.

The Flaming Nose founders would like to issue a hearty honk and welcome to our newest Guest Blogger, Mr. Michael G. Michael hails from Manhattan Beach, California and he attends school there. Michael will be our resident roving sports reporter, so look for his passionate posts once a week on the Nose. None of the other Nose writers understand sports at all, so Michael's expertise will be most welcome for all of the TV sports fans out there in cyberspace wondering when we are going to mention something about the Yankees or the Lakers. His devotion to the topic is relentless, and we will look forward to many riveting accounts about his favorite athletes including Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Manu Ginobli. His specialties are Basketball and Golf, but we will also eagerly anticipate Michael's take on the upcoming Olympics in China.

The most amazing stat about our newest writer? He's only 13! Better watch your back, Bryant Gumbel!

Larry Brown is Coaching Charlotte

Larry Brown is coaching again, at his ninth NBA stop and in his fourth decade. History tells us he is bound to butt heads with Michael Jordan, the manager of basketball operations for Charlotte. The Bobcats are a very young team , Charlotte has been building up their franchise since 2005 when the franchise was created. This team will not exactly be able to contend for a playoff spot in the next year or two. Brown at age 66 will not be under the spotlight as much as he was before coaching New York in the 2006 season which turned out to be a complete failure. Even so, Brown now will truly be tested on how fast and how well he can turn this young inexperienced team into an athletic playoff team. We will see how well Brown can incorporate his blue collar tough defense work ethic into a young group of players who are mostly concentrated on scoring. Contract Negotiations have not yet been announced. All NBA games are airing on TNT and ESPN.

Sports

NBA PLAYOFFS:
With first round of the NBA Playoffs coming to a close, I would like to review each series.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 LA LAKERS VS. #8 Denver Nuggets
With Los Angeles taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the series due to Kobe Bryant's excellent performance including a 49 point point game 2. No team has ever come back from 3-0 deficit and the Nuggets wont either considering the Lakers trounce of the nuggets in game 3 at Denver.

#4 Utah Jazz VS #5 Houston Rockets
This series has proven to be an interesting one. In the first 3 games of the series the road team has won. But in a decisive game 4 at the energy solutions arena in Salt Lake City where the Jazz have an NBA best 37-4 record, they edged out the Rockets 86-82. They should win this series.

#3 San Antonio Spurs VS #6 Phoenix Suns.
This renewed rivalry between the Spurs and the Suns was supposed to be a thrilling first round match up. The San Antonio Spurs beg to differ as they hold a commanding 3-0 series lead. The Suns had all too many chances in the first two games at San Antonio. But in both games they came up short. When the series shifted to Phoenix for game 3 they had no answer for Tony Parker who scored a career best 41 points. The Spurs will finish off the Suns in game 5 at home and will be going for their 5th championship in the last 10 years.

#2 New Orleans Hornets VS #7 Dallas Mavericks
This series is an easy one to pick for one reason, home court advantage. Both teams are great at home but struggle on the road. Since New Orleans has home court advantage look for them to win this series.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Boston Celtics VS #8 Atlanta Hawks
This series is also not exactly tough to predict with Boston posting 66-16 regular season record. The City of Atlanta has not seen a home playoff game in 9 seasons and we were all happy to see the hawks win game 3 in front of their fans. The Celtics will probably win the next two games and and come away with an easy series victory.

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers VS #5 Washington Wizards.
All of us NBA fans are getting tired of this match up as these teams have met for the past three years in the first round. With Deshawn Stevenson call Lebron James overrated, this comment sparked a game 1 tussle. With Cleveland ahead 3-1 in the series look for them to win the series easily.

#3 Orlando Magic VS #6 Toronto Raptors
Simple, if Toronto can not stop the Magic from sinking threes they have no chance.

#2 Detroit #7 Philidelphia
With the Sixers getting a shocking game 1 victory and their trounce in game 3 they should have good chance in this series.