Besides, there is only so much of Bill Walton that one normal human being can take. His voice is annoying and he tries to sound like a storyteller every time he speaks. Just call the game, Bill. And as soon as the game was over, guess what? I turned the television off. Why? There was no Inside the NBA. ESPN's basketball analysts come off as distant and boring, and Stephen A. Smith has got to be the most annoying personality on television. He personifies everything that is wrong with sports media right now.
Needless to say, I missed E.J., Kenny, and Charles tonight. No homo. (Get over it Cobb; it's just a saying).
Anyway, the game was entertaining, just like the series has been. However instead of people stepping up for their team, like in Game 5, they instead stepped down. Antwan Jamison once again missed fts down the stretch, and if you would have told me that "The New Heartbreak Kid" Gilbert Arenas could go 6-24 from the field and the Wizards still win, I'd have laughed at you (although he did get one hellafied block on Kurt Hinrich towards the end of the game).
But the worst was from the Bulls; a complete collaspe down the stretch, particularly within the last 36 seconds of the game. Forced shots by Jannero Pargo and Hinrich, Chris Duhon trying to roll the ball off his back and was completely unprepared for that kind of pressure situation, and then the WTF moment with Tyson Chandler taking a jumper at the top of the key with 3 seconds left when you need a three to tie the game. And Chicago led for most of the second half.
If Washington is to compete with the Miami Heat, they are going to need a lot of help from Brendan Haywood and Jared Jeffries. Shaq's had almost a week off and should be ready to play on Sunday, so that means Haywood needs a big game and try to use his strength to make Shaq work and keep a considerable distance.
I don't think Miami will be able to roll through Washington without a few big games from Shaq, as they were able to do to the Nets, because Washington is a young team that can move up and down the court. Their guards, Arenas and Larry Hughes, are just as defensive minded as they are scorers, so that means Dwayne Wade and Damon Jones won't go buckwild like they were able to do against the aging Jason Kidd and Vince Carter. But that won't mean a thing if Antwan Jamison doesn't shake off some of the bad aspects of this series and help out on the boards.
Tonight will be a heck of a night, as there are TWO Game 7's: Indiana/Boston is at 7PM and the really heated Dallas/Houston climax starts at 9:30. Both will be on TNT, thank God. Both games are virtual tossups, so there's no need for me to pull out a prediction. Whoever has the most heart will win the game. It's that simple.
And lastly, did anyone see James Carville and Tim Russert (well it looked like him anyway, I'm not for sure) in the crowd last night celebrating the Wizard victory? That whole group looked too goofy for words. The one thing I hate about the Wizards winning is now there will be a bunch of politicians starting to show up at Wizards games. Lord help us if they upset Miami; you'll have all of Congress in the MCI Center trying to get on camera with their newly bought Wizards paraphernalia.
