NBA Playoffs Semifinals

I am so hyped for the upcoming series, especially for my Celtics. The Knicks were not as much of a problem as advertised, to be fair, Chauncey was injured as was Amare, but the two games in MSG were not playoff basketball. Boston has had plenty of time to rest and the Heat are going to be a real opponent. Ultimately, I don't see them having enough to beat my Celtics.



I admit that I am a bit of a homer (GO BRUINS!) but lets look back at the regular season games between the Heat/C's. Record was 3-1 in our favor. Let's throw out the first game and the last game as they are not fair representations of both squads. Celtics were 2-0 in the middle games, Rondo dominated, and Wade struggled. I expect a lot more of the same. Lebron/Wade/Bosh will dominate at least 1 game, possibly 2, but I don't see this series going to 7. The Heat lack the entire package that Boston has. We will have Rondo distributing the ball, bigs causing trouble in the paint, a better coach, and two wings who arguably shoot better than Lebron/Wade. Lebron has choked against Boston in previous playoffs, and I am expecting more of the same. The Heat gave the Sixers tons of opportunities to get back in games, and just looked generally streaky, while the Celtics play with precision and consistency. This might be our last year, but Boston will take this series in 6, and I am going to be betting the underdogs and under on total points in almost every game.


Looking forward, the Bulls should take care of Atlanta/Orlando without much of an issue, which worries me, because Boston will be tired from playing hard against Miami, we will cross that bridge when we get there! (and are you really scared of D. Rose?) Oklahoma City and the Lakers are going to be the two teams I am worried about in the West. The rest of the conference does not have much of a chance. Grizzlies were not able to put away the pesky Spurs who hit a couple of shots late, (and then covered the 6.5 spread in OT) but I hope ZBO and Tony Allen and crew will finish them off this weekend.

Food: Roasted Chicken and Winter Veggies

Cooked up a meal for the week, and decided to share it with the blog, as I had my camera on hand. The meal was Roasted Chicken Breast and Winter Veggies. I basically used all the veggies I had left in my fridge. This included 2 sweet potatoes, (picked up on sale for .69/lb) a big ass zucchini, 2 carrots, various mushrooms, and a couple strips of green pepper.

Started by grilling up the chicken breast (1.5ish lbs) in the cast iron skillet with salt, pepper, and italian seasonings.

Next, washed, cut, and cubed the various veggies and threw them in a casserole tray.

When the chicken was mostly done grilling, I cut it up into smaller pieces, and threw it on top of the casserole.

Dribbled a little more olive oil on top, and put it into the pre heated oven at 400* for about an hour, stirring once or twice.

Enjoyed with a delicious Bell's Porter my uncle brought me from MI, that paired exceptionally well!

Happy Easter! Glad the Celtics brought their brooms to NY... #18....

Game 2: C's v Knicks

The Knicks could have really used Amare Stoudemire in last night's loss to the C's. After it was revealed he would not be returning after halftime, Carmelo really took control of the game. he had 42 points, 26 of them coming in the second half. Bill Walker was an absolute train-wreck on the court. He got called for Technical foul after completely decking Ray Allen under the basket, and was just rowdy in general. Tommy Heinsohn reminded us that he was 0-11 from the floor.

This brings me to my final point. Mike D'Antoni, worst coach in basketball? I think that's pretty plausible, how did he not switch Douglas off Rondo, who had his best game in recent memory. How do you wait until there are .6 seconds left to foul? Why leave Bill Walker on the court when he's going on 0-11 from the field? Draw up some plays rather than let Carmelo just rip 3s? Mike D'Antoni would be gone after this year from any other squad, but I have a feeling with Isaiah having James Dolan's ear, this might not happen.

KG proves why he is the man at the end of the game, bring on Miami!

Ray Allen is the Man!

That was an awesome opening weekend of NBA playoffs. Upsets abound in Orlando, San Antonio, and Los Angeles, as well as close games everywhere else! My Celtics were losing during most of the game, but the clutch play of our big 4 (yes I include Rondo) and great play calling by Doc Rivers was topped off with this game winning shot by Ray Allen. Watch the video.

Book Review: Born to Run by Chris McDougall

I decided to pick up a copy of Born to Run off of Ebay while I was browsing and looking to spend my "Ebay Bucks." I am certainly glad i did, as this book really motivated me to run while I have been trying to get fit.

The book is a non-fiction tale focused on ultra-marathoners, meaning runs of 50 miles or more in one sitting. At first this seems completely insane, but as the book progresses, they mention a 50 miler, and it seems like an off-hand comment. I have struggled running 3 miles, but while I was reading the book, I felt that I could eventually run 50 too!

One of the most interesting characters was Caballo Blanco, an American who winds up living with the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico. They are a completely separate civilization from the rest of Mexico, located in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. These people are not plagued by the modern pains of society, such as cancer, divorce, drug use, among other things. Everyone in their society runs enormous distances, equal to ultra-marathons on a regular basis, even their oldest members. Also they wear sandals that are basically barefoot and eat a meager diet that consists of mainly vegetables and grains. Here is a Tarahumara tribe member running with another character in the book, Scott Jurek, a world class runner.

The entire book is inspirational, and really wants to make you get out there and run. Some of the most interesting topics were regarding marathon speed distributions based on age. Your peak marathon time is roughly 27 years old, however your speed at 19 and 65 should be roughly the same, and the slope from 19 to 27 mirrors that of 27 to 65.

Another topic that I found fascinating was the idea that humans evolved to be runners. This was the only way we could compete with the other animals of our time. Ever try to outrun your dog? You can't in the short term, but as it runs longer and longer, it tires out, and needs to exhale the heat through its mouth, as they can not sweat out of their skin. Our ability to sweat was what put us over the edge, evolutionarily speaking. There is even a tribe in Africa that still occasionally out-runs animals, all the way until the actually die by exhaustion, CRAZY!

Another interesting topic was regarding barefoot running. The human foot is designed to run, it is designed perfectly. Fancy shoes with shocks end up causing more injuries than running barefoot. There is almost no benefit to the shoes Nike puts out, except the value for the shareholders, and the aesthetic look. Vibram Five Fingers are a new craze, pictured below, which mimic barefoot running, while giving you the protection that we are used to.

There are many other nuggets in this book that are worth reading. Also the story of Caballo Blanco is built up over the course of the book and is revealed at the end. Finally the author who catalogs his progress based on his investigative journalism is an interesting and motivating story, because he too completes the culminating ultra-marathon.

Congrats to Masters 2011 champ Charl Schwartzel

Congrats to 2011 Master's champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa. The final day/round of the tournament was tense, with double digit lead changes, and 7 different leaders. Tiger Woods, who is always fascinating, was in contention and finished tied for 4th, if it weren't for a number of unlucky putts on Saturday/Sunday he would have had another green jacket. Rory Mcilroy choked supremely, and gave up his 4 stroke lead on Sunday running 8 over par.