Leg-en-dary!!!

Who are these Atlanta Hawks?  (part one)  The least loved (and respected) team in the final 8 comes out and . . . spanks the Bulls!  What's more, you got guys like Teague and Pachulla contributing major minutes.  Teague playing 44 strong minutes after only getting 9 minutes in the Orlando series is a particularly amazing story. 

Who are these Atlanta Hawks?  (part two)  On the same theme of unloved and unrespected, how about Joe Johnson?  There's probably no more hated NBA star by the cognoscenti than Johnson, but he poured in 34 points against a tough Bulls defense.  Does that mean he's worth $119 million over 6 years?  (The value of his contract, which is more than either Wade - at $110 million -- or James -- at $107.5 million -- is getting paid.)  No, but it'll be great to watch how far he can take these Hawks team. You gotta love the NBA for putting up a compelling late season storyline like the Hawks!

Who are the Chicago Bulls?  Maybe this is the more significant question.  The Bulls have been getting a lot of pre-playoff love, and for good reason: they have the presumptive MVP and a lot of nice complementary pieces.  But they haven't played particularly well in the playoffs, getting by the Pacers in round one though they were outplayed in at least 3 of their 5 games.  Now we'll see how good they really are. 

Leg-en-dary!!!  The Dallas-Lakers series is going to be awesome.  As Charles Barkley has said, the Mavs are a much better team than they're getting credit for.  Particularly with guys like Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood to throw at the Lakers, they can keep up -- provided that Dirk continues to play the best basketball of his life.  I'm just concerned about Mark Cuban's health - he's looking particularly red-faced and beefy these days, a heart attack waiting to happen. 

Who does Aubrey root for?  Aubrey (referring to himself in the third person) has a bunch of conflicting loyalties.  He thinks he likes OK City to most out of all teams, but admits to a sneaking admiration for the Grizzlies.  He's now back to liking Dallas, and (as points #1 and #2 show) has caught some Hawks fever.  Worst NBA final from Aubrey's perspective: Lakers - Heat.  Worst NBA final from the league's perspective: Memphis - Atlanta.  Most likely final as Aubrey writes this email today?  Why not go out on a limb and say it: Mavs - Heat. 
--posted by AF