Igoudala and Green Should Be Co-MVPs

If Golden State wins the 2015 NBA Finals, Andre Igoudala and Draymond Green should be chosen as Co-MVPs. They have been the truly consistent warriors in this year's Finals, never showing signs of giving up or being dejected when their team was down.

Postscript: Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors, the winners of the 2015 NBA Finals. The Warriors won over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a score of 105-97 in Game 6 of the series. This caps the Finals tally at 4-2 in favor of Golden State. Andre Igoudala was awarded the Finals MVP.

The San Antonio Spurs are the 2014 NBA Champions

Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs who won the 2014 NBA Championship against the Maimi Heat. The Spurs won game 5  and closed out the series at 4-1, where they only lost during game 2. Since that game, the Spurs have never looked back.

It is interesting to note that while Miami was focused on its Big Three, the Spurs win is attributed not to their individual players, but to their performance as a team composed of players from different countries all over the world.

Another surprising aspect of this series is that the players of the Spurs - Duncan, Ginobilli, and Parker - were written off as old and aging by most of the world's basketball fans, including myself. But they proved their critics wrong. And the Spurs coaching staff did well to surround the Spurs core with good supporting players that can complement them.

Patty Mills performance is worth mentioning too. There was a stint in the game where he shot several three pointers and scored 14 points in a span of 9 minutes. This player was once the leading scorer for the Australian team. The boost he gave the Spurs when Tony Parker was struggling with his scoring during the 1st half allowed the Spurs to build up a big lead from which the Miami Heat could no longer recover from.

Kawhi Leonard was awarded the Finals MVP. He was asked why he got the award when the Spurs had a big three. But instead of focusing on his strengths and what he did for his team, he humbly thanked his family and God for the victory.

San Antonio Spurs are the 2013 NBA World Champions

That could be the headline on sports news tomorrow and on the days to come.

For San Antonio fans, this could be the last time they will see their big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker in an NBA Finals. If the Spurs win, it will be the 5th title brought to San Antonio in the era of Tim Duncan. The other championship rings were in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007. If Tim Duncan decides to retire after this season, a championship would be the cherry on top of the sundae - an excellent ending to a splendid career. Tim Duncan has achieved more than most power forwards.

Will Manu have another throw back game? Will he once again be the Manu of old? Fans of San Antonio hope so. After all, they know that Manu is also in his twilight years. This time, too, is probably the last time he can chase the NBA ring. So, in game 6 of the NBA playoffs, why not lay it all on the line, and play like there is no tomorrow.

Tony Parker may be injured, but at least he is playing for the team, and trying to be a factor. Will he have another heroic game, similar to Game 1 of the Finals?

As for the Heat, they seem to have lost the edge that allowed them to become the second team in NBA history with the longest winning streak. I'm not seeing the "closer" in LeBron James. Sure, he scored the most points in Game 4 for the Heat, but if you watched that game, it was Dwayne Wade who opened up the scoring flood gate which allowed the Heat to run away with the win.

Wade carried the Heat on his shoulders in their 2004 win. He too, is considered a superstar who might be entering his twilight years due to injuries. So while many may think that the Miami Big Three of James, Bosh, and Wade have plenty more championship runs in the future - and therefore - should just give way to the aging San Antonio Spurs Big Three, perhaps out of respect, they might have to think twice. If Wade is not healthy in the future, then this too might be Miami's last chance at a championship before rebuilding again. Allen, Miller, Haslem, Battier... these are all aging superstars.

Is James being to careful during the finals? Was last year's championship ring a fluke? He cannot do it alone, but if he really wants to do whatever it takes to lead Miami to another championship, he has a tremendous task ahead of him. First is winning Game 6 to force a do-or-die Game 7. And if he is somehow able to do that, then the second task is winning Game 7. Can they survive like they did Indiana?

But San Antonio has proven that they are difficult to beat back-to-back. And San Antonio has two cracks at this. Still, if I were Popovich and his men, I would end this finals as early as possible.

Miami Heat 2013 Winning Streak

Winning NBA Championships gets people talking about an NBA team. But beating long-standing records immortalizes an NBA team in the annals of basketball history. The last time I witnessed an amazing feat such as this was during the 1996 Chicago Bulls 72 season wins, beating the long standing 69 wins notched by the Los Angeles Lakers. And this 2013 Miami team is something special. They have already taken over the 2nd spot for longest ever winning streak in NBA history. Can they break the 33 wins also tallied by the Lakers?

At the time of this writing, Miami has logged 23 straight wins, beating the 22 wins registered by the Houston Rockets in the 2007-2008 season. But the Los Angeles team of the 1971-72 NBA season still holds the best record at 33 wins. (Check out the winning steak records here). Miami still has 16 games to go in the regular season. If it wins the next ten games (Check the Heat Schedule here), it can tie the best record. And if by chance, it makes it to Milwaukee with its winning record in tack, and beats the Bucks on April 9, 2013, then Miami would have broken the record.

There is no doubt that the Big Three of Miami, namely Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh are the major reason this Miami team is accomplishing so much this season. And having Lebron James, undoubtedly the best basketball player in the league at the moment is a big confidence booster for any team.

But it is also the addition of key support players both in this season and in the previous ones, that has helped gradually strengthen this team. Players like Ray Allen, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Rashard Lewis, and Chris Andersen come to mind. And even long-time players like Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, and Norris Cole, continue to give their best for the team.

Erik Spoesltra, the coaching staff, and the trainers are also doing a tremendous job. Having the 2nd-longest winning streak in history is already a big achievement. But to be immortalized, people will still use 33 as the bar between good and great. Still, if there is an NBA team that can be considered worthy enough to challenge that record, it is the current Miami roster, and I wish them well and hope they can beat it.

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans

"The New Orleans Hornets plan to announce the official change of their nickname to the Pelicans and unveil their new colors and logo during a news conference Thursday, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Hornets will have a new look next season. (USA TODAY Sports)The new nickname, colors and logo will be used during the 2013-14 season. The colors will be blue, gold and red. Yahoo! Sports first reported the expected change Dec. 4. The Hornets had been expected to change their identity since being purchased by Tom Benson on April 14."

From Yahoo Sports

We've all heard of Michael Jordan's once charging Chicago Bulls, of the dynasty that could have been if Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady brought a championship to the fast and lethal Toronto Raptors, but for the New Orleans Hornets to change their name to the New Orleans Pelicans, to me, makes no sense.

Perhaps if I research about the Pelican, I might find distinguishing and redeeming qualities that might give light to why the new owner of the team wants to change its name. Here's what I found out about Pelicans so far:

• they often hunt cooperatively
• relationship between pelicans and people has often been contentious... they have suffered from habitat destruction, disturbance and environmental pollution, and three species are of conservation concern
• in ancient Egyptian walls, it was a protective symbol against snakes
• the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive to her young, to the point of providing her own blood by wounding her own breast when no other food was available... as a result, the pelican came to symbolize the Passion of Jesus

So a little bit of research will bring up the qualities of an animal that thrives on teamwork, an animal that fights for survival, an animal that protects, and an animal that symbolizes self-sacrifice. These are traits that are admirable if you think about it. And perhaps the owner wanted fans to think and broaden their imagination.

Still, from a passionate standpoint, I don't think the Pelican is as exciting as a charging bull or a slashing raptor. But name changes are commonly made whenever a team or a company is changing leadership or direction. Can Eric Gordon and Robin Lopez take this newly named team to the next level? Or will the drastic change in name also signify a drastic change in roster in order to build up a team that can live up to the symbolism of the Pelican? That, remains to be seen in the years to come.

Laker's 0 - 3 Worst Start in Years

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Here's a picture of the Lakers.

I wonder what we would hear if we were close enough.

Pau: (thinking) What are we gonna do now? 3 losses at the start of a season, that's never happened in Kobe and my era?

Meta: Hey Kobe, I thought you have guaranteed the Laker's future even after you retired by acquiring him?

Kobe: But I thought he was the best center in the NBA, despite the drama.

Dwight: (thinking) And I thought I would finally win a championship this year. Looks like I'm off to Miami after this season, if I could arrange a trade to get there. Howard for Bosh sounds good.

Blake: (thinking) why am I even in this shot? Oh yeah, I'm subbing for injured old man Nash.

Hey Lakers, don't sweat it. You still have an entire season to recover. When is the time to push the panic button? How many games will it take to make the play-offs? Then the time to panic is when you're in danger of not making the play-offs.

James Harden Scores 45 points

#13, James Harden, enjoying a light moment with fellow superstar #7 Jeremy Lin.

James harden scored 45 points in his second game with the Houston Rockets. And he has a lot to smile about. The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year for 2012 and also a member of the 2012 U.S. Basketball Team to the Summer Olympics was traded by the Thunder to the Rockets after they could not match Houston's $80 million offer for five years. Oklahoma only offered him somewhere between $50 to $55 million.

Harden has been described as one of the most efficient players in the league. He averaged almost 17 points per game last season, despite coming off the bench for the majority of Oklahoma's games. He is considered to be a facilitator so it might be surprising that the Rockets are depending on him to be their main scorer. But Harden is capable of massive point productions in the past. There was a game in April of 2012 where he scored 40 points against the Phoenix Suns. And prior to the NBA, in the 2006 Las Vegas Adidas Super 64 championship, he scored 34 points against Michael Beasley's team and 33 points against Kevin Love's team.

So the beard is capable of being the main man. But being in a supporting role in OKC and even in the Olympic Team has kept his talent hidden from most of basketball fans out there. Most of the time, we are only impressed when we are blown away with high scoring points, assists or rebounds. But there are great players, both past and present, that have given a team a lot more than what is reflected on the stat sheet. Is Harden that type of player?

While it may be sad for OKC fans to see their triumvirate superstars broken up, what could have been a Jordan - Pippen - Rodman connection that might have led to a possible NBA Championship, I wish the best for Harden and hope that this success isn't simply a two-game fluke. If the Rockets make a strong showing in the Playoffs this year, then we would know who got the better end of the trade deal.

Miami Heat are the 2012 NBA Champions

You would think that the biggest name of the night would be Lebron James, or Dwayne Wade, or even Chris Bosh. Perhaps it could even be Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, or Udonis Haslem. But the biggest star of the night, on perhaps the most important game of the Finals, came from a veteran plagued with injuries who is rumored to be retiring this season. And that player was none other than Mike Miller. He shot several threes, allowing the Heat to build an insurmountable margin and coast through the 5th game of the Championship. And this guy showed a lot of heart, diving for loose balls and taking charges despite all the injuries compared with Lebron James had to be taken out in Game 4 due to cramps. What a fitting way for Miller to end a career, if he decides to do so. If not for his heroics, Miami could have lost, and gone back to Oklahoma to lose the series, knowing James lack of ability to gain the win when the game is on the line.

And it is about time Miller earned his paycheck, being the 4th highest paid player on the Miami Heat roster, after the Big Three. Wade, Bosh, and Lebron had ok stats for a winning game, but really no defining moment compared to the daggers Miller let loose whenever the Thunder tried to cut down the lead and get back. And from a psychological standpoint, Miami's bench gained confidence from the cushion built by Miller's scoring. Almost everyone from Chalmers to Battier were shooting like they could not miss from beyond the arc. And outside shooting made the Thunder spread their defense further from the rim, allowing uncontested drives and dunks from cutting Heat players.

James finally has a crown. Will it be the first of many, or the one and only? See you next year when we can both find out.