As a basketball fan, I’m concerned about how many players will be left behind to complete the NBA Eastern Conference Finals after the Rapture occurs tomorrow.

As many of you have heard, Harold Camping, founder of a Christian radio station and an engineer, has predicted that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011  — an event in which Christians who believe in Harold Camping and Family Radio and who are non-evil, humble, and God-fearing will be levitated into the clouds.  These Raptured folks will never return.  Since Harold Camping has a degree in civil engineering, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s right about that.  So what does that mean for the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, their fans, and the outcome of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals?

After the Rapture, how many players will be left behind on earth to experience the tribulation and play the remaining 5 games*?  And, more importantly, who is likely to win the Series?   (It is currently tied 1-1.)

Well, as to that first question, I’m pretty sure there will be some players left.  I don’t know who specifically of the players on the Heat or the Bulls believe in Harold Camping’s prediction, which makes predicting who will be around for Game 3 on Sunday tricky — about as hard as predicting the winner of this series — but, while not many NBA players can be considered totally non-evil, humble, and God-fearing, there must be at least some who are.  Or who are at least self-professed Christians.

Will Lebron remain and Rose rise?

Lebron will definitely still be around.  His religious affiliation appears to be Roman Catholic, so he should be left behind based on that criterion alone, according to Rapture experts (who take a dim view of Catholics).  Additionally, he is not humble, since he speaks of himself in the third person.  So that’s a relief, eh, Heat fans?  And also a blessing for the Heat’s owner, Micky Arison, who is paying Lebron $110 million.  (Micky will be also be at AmericanAirlines Arena on Sunday, too, so Lebron can count on a continuing paycheck.)  Also, apparently Lebron James is a member of the Illuminati, so that lets him right out.

With Lebron available for Miami, one’s mind immediately jumps to the fate of Chicago’s Derrick Rose.  Will the Bulls still have their lone superstar?  It’s hard to tell what religion Derrick is.  The youngest-ever MVP worships basketball, obviously.  However, the first tattoo he ever got was a cross with the words “Only God Can Judge Me.”  This may put him on shaky ground, Rapture-wise, because it would have been better for him if the tattoo stated, “Only Harold Camping Can Judge Me.”  But I think the real deal-breaker, Rapture-wise, is his “Poohdini” tattoo, which shows an image of a wizard holding a staff and a basketball.  We know from their many pronouncements on the subject that Christians think wizards are in league with the Devil — after all, Christians are the ones who tried to have Harry Potter books banned from school libraries.  So, I think the wizard inked on the shoulder should disqualify Derrick Rose from being Raptured.  Sorry, Derrick, no clouds for you.  Whew… close one, Bulls fans!

Okay, so we’ve got at least two guys staying on earth.  What about Dwyane Wade?  We know he’s Christian.  We know he wears number 3 because of the Holy Trinity.  And he tithes 10% of his salary to his Chicago church.  If that weren’t bad enough (from a basketball fan’s point of view), his mother is an ordained Baptist minister.  So, Dwyane is gone.  Dwyane might as well already be walking through the pearly gates.  He will not be available to start on Sunday.  Or ever again.  In other words, he’ll be a first-round draft pick by God.

The remainder of Miami’s roster

What about Chris Bosh?  Well, he’s an intelligent guy — good student, went to Georgia Tech — so we can infer from that that he’s not one of Harold Camping’s followers.  On the other hand, he was dumb enough to get involved with his “Basketball Wife” ex-girlfriend, so maybe, you know, he could have some religious tendencies.  But not enough, I’d guess.  Bosh should be around.

So now we’ve got Lebron James and Chris Bosh against Derrick Rose.  Will Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer still be on Rose’s team?  Well, when he commented on religion for an interview once, Joakim said, “I believe in God, but I don’t have a particular God…  I definitely want to learn about different religions. The more people know about religion and other people’s culture, the less ignorance and conflict there will be.”  That pretty much excuses Noah from Rapture-hood.  Christians do have a particular God and they do not want to learn about other peoples’ religions and they are not opposed to ignorance and conflict (I mean, look at Galileo, and the Crusades, and evolution, and that whole witch-burning episode, and the Inquisition), so yeah, the Bulls’ premier defensive stopper will be available for Game 3.  And Carlos Boozer?  He once commented that Mormons are “not bad at all.”  That statement right there ensures that he’ll be missing the Rapture express.  Sorry, Carlos.  Plus, he has his own shoe with Nike, who, as we know, is a Greek goddess.  That should put the kabosh on any remaining doubts about his post-Rapture status.  In other words, Boozer will still be around to post up the non-righteous Chris Bosh.

Unfortunately, Mike Bibby won’t be shooting any more 3′s for Miami.  He states that he’s a Christian on his MySpace page and he has said that he’s a religious person.  And who are we to doubt Mike?  MySpace is almost certainly good enough for God, so it’s floaty-uppy for Mike.

Miami center Joel Anthony will also not be around.  He went to a Christian school.  Plus, he’s Canadian, which almost automatically makes him humble.  But Mario Chalmers should still be on Miami’s roster.  It’s not clear what his religion is, but he lost a stare-down to Blake Griffin once, so there’s some evidence that he’s more intimidated by Blake Griffin than he is by God.  Rapture is for the God-fearing, not the Blake-fearing.  We’ll assume Mario will not be joining the faithful in the firmament.  What about Erick Dampier and Zydrunas Ilgauskas?  Will Miami have any height remaining at center?  Doesn’t look good regarding Dampier.  Erick attended church every Sunday as a kid and now he does things like work with the Boys and Girls Club of Mississippi every off-season.  I’m pretty sure Erick will be hoovered up.  Regarding Ilgauskas, prospects appear a little better.  79% of Lithuanians profess to be Roman Catholic and, according to many Christian Fundamentalists, Catholics just don’t make the grade with God.  Moreover, in a 2005 poll, only 49% of Lithuanians believe there is a God (though that doesn’t quite square with the preceding stat on Roman Catholicism).  In any event, if Zydrunas has a religion, it’s most likely Roman Catholic, and if he doesn’t, he probably doesn’t believe in God.  Either way, it’s ixnay on the apture-Ray for ydrunas-Zay.  Finally — and this is probably the most significant — Zydrunas Ilgauskas professes to enjoy reading books. So, though Ilgauskas hasn’t exactly been a force of biblical proportions in the playoffs up until now, he’ll at least look intimidating sitting on the bench.  Jamaal Magloire?  Another Canadian.  He’ll be gone…  He operates several charitable foundations and runs clinics for underprivileged children.  If that isn’t enough, in high school he played for the Saints.

How about Udonis Haslem, who has made important contributions to the Heat since the Conference Finals began?  I think he’ll be around.  He wants to be the mayor of Miami when he’s done playing.  No politician is genuinely humble, non-evil, and God-fearing.  Juwan Howard?  In the first two games, he’s 0-1.  Who cares?

What remaining heathen will Chicago have?

Chicago-wise, we have to take a look at Luol Deng.  He grew up in a Christian family in Sudan but, after moving to Egypt, he respectfully helped his Muslim friends celebrate Ramadan.  Whoa, Bulls fans — you dodged a Rapture-bullet there, and should be able to count on some continued scoring punch from Deng, with his Muslim-respecting feet remaining firmly on the ground.  Except, of course, when he’s dunking on Lebron.

Solid Chicago sub Taj Gibson is a bit more of an unsure thing.  Though he attended Calvary Christian School in San Fernando, CA, where he received a “Christ-centered education,” he states that his favorite basketball players are Jamaal Tinsley and Lamar Odom.  See, I’m pretty sure that’s the kind of humor God doesn’t appreciate.  Even worse, Taj posterized Dwyane Wade with a dunk in Game 1 of the series.  We already know how much God likes Dwyane Wade.  I think heaven won’t be able to use Taj.  Fortunately, Chicago will be able to use his defense and rebounding.

How about Kyle Korver?  Kyle is like, what, -2 for 18 so far in this series?  But soon his shooting slump will not matter, one way or another, because Kyle has been described as a “great young Christian man,” and his father is an evangelical pastor with his own church.  Tomorrow, Kyle will be going to that big gym in the sky, along with his father and Harold Camping.

And what of the rest of the bench-sitters on both teams?  Brian Scalabrine and Kurt Thomas for the Bulls?  Eddie House and Dexter Pittman for the Heat?  Well, let’s look at it statistically.  According to Harold Camping, about 200 million people will be Raptured up on May 21.  That’s 200 million out of a population of 6 billion.  So that means that each of the remaining players has a 1 in 30 chance of being sucked into the sky.  The thing is, each of those players has shown himself to be capable of beating the odds — first by becoming NBA players, which only a few hundred people get to be, and second by still being in the playoffs while 26 other NBA teams are sitting at home on their butts on their Elite home theater loungers.  Just by those very facts, we must assume that these exceptional men will once again defy the odds and be taken into God’s bosom tomorrow, along with the other lucky 200 million humble, non-evil, God-fearing,  Harold Camping-believing Christians.

Which is fine, because, even though they’re NBA scrubs, they’re still scrubs.

So where does that leave things with regard to the Eastern Conference Finals?  It’ll be Lebron, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Ilgauskas, and Haslem versus Rose, Joakim Noah, Boozer, Deng, and Taj Gibson.  A permanently elevated Wade will be too much of a liability for Miami to overcome.  I pick Chicago in 6.

* If necessary

Related posts:

1. A Little Limb Action: Denver Nuggets Will Win the Western Conference Finals
2. The Most Entertaining Potential Match-up for the 2011 NBA Finals

The NBA playoffs begin tomorrow and there is at least one match-up in the first round in each conference (Boston versus New York in the east and Oklahoma City versus Denver in the west), that should not only be highly entertaining, but not too lopsided.  After the lower seeds are winnowed out, the competition will only intensify in subsequent rounds as the best and hungriest players in the league scratch and claw their way to the 2011 NBA title.  (Do you want to see at least one playoff game in person?  Is your local ticket vendor sold out?  You can still find NBA Playoff tickets here for reasonable prices.)

But which two teams would it be fascinating to see in the Finals?  Who would be the ideal match-up?

How about the New York Knicks versus the Denver Nuggets?

Twists and Turns of the Regular Season

The 2010-11 NBA season has been interesting and dramatic in a number of ways.   Remember the prediction that the Heat would win more than 72 games?  (Here’s what I had to say about that in November.)  There was the unexpected dominance of San Antonio (until late in the season, at least).  There were Blake Griffin’s jaw-dropping highlights.  There was the big trade between Orlando and Phoenix.  There was Jerry Sloan’s shocking retirement.  And how about Kevin Love schooling the league in how to rebound and put up double-doubles?  (53 consecutive games?  Who could have predicted that?)  And there was the soap opera surrounding the fate of Carmelo Anthony.  As soon as he refused to sign the contract extension that the Nuggets offered him, along with putting his Denver mansion up for sale, basketball fans in Denver could see the texting on the wall:  “C ya.”  Anthony played his usual brand of impressive one-on-one ball up until he was traded to the Knicks for, well, the entire Knicks team.  Denver fans — some of the more knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and optimistic around the league — even refrained from booing him during home games until the bitter end (there were some boos as the trade deadline approached and it became clear that Anthony was going to spurn Colorado for the bright lights of the east coast).  I suppose the folks in the stands hoped he might change his mind if they were nice to him.

At least we didn’t have to wait until the summer for him to have his own lame ESPN show about which team he’d go to.

But you know what was odd about it all?  Almost before the ink on his new contract was dry, Anthony became a sort of distant memory in Denver.  Nuggets fans immediately embraced the 10 or 15 new players (yeah, I’m exaggerating) who arrived in town.  They were eagerly curious to see what sort of team they had on their hands.  Sure, they missed home-town hero Chauncey Billups, who was an unfortunate casualty of the trade crossfire and had to reluctantly pack his bags for New York.  But as for the general feeling, it was sort of like: Carmelo… Been-There-Done-That.

In New York, after getting a closer look at Melo in a few home games, it seems Knicks fans began to wonder:  just what sort of player have we got here?

What New York got was an effective scorer who is never reluctant to single-handedly attack the basket, sometimes against double and triple teams.  What they’ve also got is a player who will never make the All-NBA defensive team.  What they’ve got is a superstar who has yet to figure out how to make his team better, how to elevate the strengths of his teammates.  And if he hasn’t figured that out by now, after seven years in the league, he may never figure it out.

And what sort of team did Denver wind up with?  Only a group of somewhat undersung guys that manged to go 18-7 after the trade, the highest-scoring team in the NBA (one place ahead of guess-who — New York).  But in addition to scoring, the Nuggets had suddenly acquired a dimension of scrappy, turnover-producing defense and share-the-ball selflessness that hadn’t been consistently seen since Anthony’s advent in town.  They even started boxing out on the boards (which the Knicks do not do, and Anthony won’t change that).

In basketball, teamwork is paramount.  While it generally takes a superstar or two to win a championship, superstars only win if they meld their talents effectively with the rest of the team, if they synergistically leverage their ability by helping raise the level of everyone else.  In addition, they’ve got to be a multi-dimensional superstar.  They can’t just be good at one thing, like scoring.  They’ve got to be great at scoring and defense, or rebounding and defense, or defense and passing.  Jordan was great in at least 3 areas (scoring, defense, and passing).  So was Bill Russell (defense, rebounding, and he became a good passer).  Kobe is great at scoring and defense.  Notice a trend here?  Any superstar who intends to win a championship must play effective defense, or at least not make many defensive mistakes.  Melo is a good scorer.

Click for NBA gear from FansEdge

After the trade, the Nuggets began to play better team basketball.  They began figuring out how to blend their skills effectively.  There could be a different star each night.  In the absence of the eclipsing superstar gas-giant planet that was Melo, they began to blossom as a team and individually.  And they began having more fun.

Ty Lawson, promoted to a starting role, almost immediately came into his own as a point guard (and added an element of quickness on defense that was lacking with Chauncey Billups).  J. R. Smith began to wield his formidable talents more selflessly and intelligently.  The players from the Knicks — former Tar Heel Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari — showed that they could play well both individually and in support of others.  This team without a superstar began to play some pretty good ball.  And as they had fun (sometimes 5 or more players scoring in double figures in a game), they made it entertaining to watch.

Now the “real season” begins…

There’s a lot of tension and excitement in the NBA playoffs, the so-called “real” season.  But what would be more dramatic than a match-up in the NBA Finals between the Nuggets and the Knicks?  You’d have solid team play and defense pitted against two scoring superstars in Anthony and Stoudemire, with the backdrop of the trade to sweeten the pot.  There would be the sub-plot of student-versus-master with Ty Lawson and Chauncey Billups.  You’d have the aspect of no coach in the league knowing better how to play against Carmelo than George Karl.  Yet Mike D’Antoni would have intimate knowledge of his ex-Knicks’ strengths and weaknesses.  You’d have Denver fans anxious to observe Anthony learning yet again that individual accomplishment alone is not what wins championships.  And New York fans ambivalently watching their former, somewhat under-appreciated players kick their ass.

Click to see great NBA murals at Fathead

A fair amount of unlikely things would have to happen for that match-up to occur.  First, the Knicks would have to beat the Celtics in the first round, which is unlikely.  And they would be heavily favored to lose against any team they would subsequently face if they somehow got past Boston.

Second, the Nuggets would most likely have to beat both the Spurs and the Lakers to win the western conference.  While they haven’t fared badly against those teams this season, it’s a different proposition in the playoffs.  If the Lakers make it to the conference finals (as seems likely, since Kobe Bryant is still the one player in the league who wants to win a championship more than anyone else, including Lebron), the Nuggets would somehow have to prove that the Lakers don’t have their number.  Maybe, just maybe, with what in essence is a brand new team, they could do that.

But first they have to get past the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.  And, as of this moment, that also seems unlikely.  Some of the most important Nuggets players (Arron Afflalo, Nene, Lawson) are banged up.  And Oklahoma had begun to play some formidable ball as the regular season concluded.  Kevin Durant is hitting on all cylinders, Westbrook and Harden are playing well, and the addition of Kendrick Perkins has really strengthened them inside.  Even if all the Nuggets players were healthy, the Thunder would be a tough match-up for them.

But, we’ll see.  That’s what they play the series for.

Of course, if you’re a Chicago or Orlando or New Orleans fan, you won’t prefer to see the Knicks versus the Nuggets.  But if your team happens to lose, what match-up would be more entertaining for those who appreciate multiple dramatic threads in a playoff series?

In any event, if you’ve never been to an NBA playoff game, you should try to attend at least one.  The electric atmosphere and intensity of the games are something to experience close up.  And if you buy your playoff tickets through TicketNetwork (and it’s likely they will be your best bet, since many local venues have already sold out of their allotment), NBA playoff tickets are surprisingly affordable.  For example, you can get tickets for as low as $24 to the game in Denver between the Thunder and the Nuggets on April 24.  You can find tickets for around $30 to see the Heat against the Pacers in Miami on April 18.  You can find tickets for as low as $13 to see the Grizzlies versus the Spurs on April 23 in Memphis.  All of these and every other NBA playoff game are available now from TicketNetwork, an efficient, secure, guaranteed way to buy tickets online.  Their website is informative and clear to use, plus they’re known for good customer service.  (I wouldn’t recommend them if they weren’t one of the better ticket-brokers around.)

And, since you’re reading this post, you can even get a deal.  TicketNetwork has provided me with a coupon code I can pass along to you.  Right now,  place an order over $350 at TicketNetwork.com and get $10 off using coupon code AFF$10.  Let your friends know about it, too, via the sharing buttons below.  (But don’t wait, because this deal ends April 30.)

It’s a great time of year to be a basketball fan.  Catch a game!  And, if you like, leave a comment about your take on the NBA playoffs below…

Related posts:

1. A Little Limb Action: Denver Nuggets Will Win the Western Conference Finals
2. Who Will Be Left to Play the NBA Eastern Conference Finals After the Rapture Occurs?

Will this be Kevin Durant's MVP season? (NBAE/Getty image)

I’m used to the NBA season starting on November 1 but, like daylight saving time and the advent of winter, basketball nowadays isn’t keeping to its traditional schedule (the opening game was October 26).  Regardless, what should be one of the most interesting and dramatic NBA seasons since the 1990s is now under way. 

You won’t want to miss it, so click here to get your NBA game tickets.  (And keep reading to see current discount offers below from TicketNetwork.)

Of course, if you’re any kind of basketball fan, you’ll want to catch the Heat (if only to boo them), as well as Kevin Durant’s potential MVP performance, the debut season of rookie John Wall, and Tyreke Evans’ follow-up to his Rookie-of-the-Year honors, plus track whether the Lakers can get it together sufficiently to ride Kobe’s coattails to a three-peat.  And then there’ll be Monta Ellis whirling like a dervish to the basket, Chris Paul racking up about 39 assists per game, and Shaq (egad!) in a Celtics uniform.

Miami has a group of basketball players you’ve probably already decided you’ll love to love or love to hate.  But if nothing else, the over-Bloviated Three’s opening-game loss to the Celtics proves yet again the basketball truism that it’s the best TEAM that wins, particularly on the defensive end.  Sure, nowadays you have to have at least one superstar and a couple of stellar supporting players to win a championship, but a superstar or two or three is no guarantee of getting it done.  Without the team approach, defeat is inevitable.  Case in point:  the Lakers, with the best trio of offensive players ever assembled — Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor — never won a championship.  Who did they lose to?  The aging ’69 Celtics and the fanatically team-centric Knicks.  (By the way, as of today, Miami isn’t even leading their division.)

In any event, NBA 2010-11 should be a fascinating season for basketball fans.  Will we see Miami against the Lakers in the Finals?  Or will most everyone’s expectations get confounded and the championship be contested between the Magic and the Thunder? 

73 games?  Really?

What we won’t see, I guarantee, is Miami winning 73 games.  It’s a long, arduous season and neither Dwyane Wade nor LeBron James have yet proven themselves to be consistently Jordan-esque in durability or impact (though Wade came close in the 2006 Finals).  I can’t believe actual experts have predicted 73 wins.  Still, you can follow the drama on ESPN’s somewhat breathless Heat Index.  (Since the Heat lost to the Celtics, they can only lose 8 more games.  Which would those 8 potentially be?  They play Boston 3 more times; they play the Lakers twice; they play Orlando 3 more times; they play Oklahoma City twice; they play San Antonio twice; and they play Chicago 3 times.  And some other team is bound to upset them at least once. (For example, in their 72-win season in 1995-96, the Bulls lost a game to the Raptors, who finished that season 21-61.)  From here on, if they lose only one game apiece to each of those other top teams and get upset once by a lesser team, they can only lose 1 more game all season.  What about the Nuggets, the Mavericks, and the Hornets?  Heck, even Cleveland might dig deep into their ball-bag of hatred and pull out an upset.  73 is a very tall order, though the Heat do have the advantage of playing in the weaker Eastern Conference.  So I would suggest 68, maybe…  What do you think?

 TicketNetwork is the place to get your NBA tickets.  Why buy through them?  TicketNetwork aggregates many reputable sellers of tickets into one great deal, often selling at prices 15% or more below the competition.  Why wait for hours standing in line or on the computer to get tickets to a popular event?  TicketNetwork usually has those tickets available now.  They offer a 125% money-back guarantee if there is a delivery problem with your order (see details on their site).  ControlScan and McAfee certify TicketNetwork as a safe shopping site.  And the customer interface on their website is one of the best — clear, informative, easy to navigate, with cutting-edge functions to help you select your seats.  Plus, they also frequently offer good promotions…

For example:  Get $10 off an order of $350 or more by using coupon code  AFF$10 during checkout (this deal is good through November 17, 2010, so don’t wait).

Or:  Place an order of $250 or more today and they will email you a coupon for $20 off a future order of $250.

NBA regular season tickets are surprisingly affordable (as low as $5).  Call up your buddies, arrive at the arena early, and soak up the atmosphere.  Pro sports doesn’t get any flashier or more athletically exciting than the NBA.

Find tickets for the… 

• Knicks 
• Lakers
• Magic
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and more.

Of course, TicketNetwork also has a full range of tickets for NFL, NHL, Broadway shows, concerts, etc. 

And get fan gear to support your team from Fathead (where you can get a free TEAMMATE — a smaller emblem to stick on your wall, or anywhere – by spending $99 or more and using coupon code TEAMMATE at checkout).

Related posts:

1. Get 2010 NBA Playoff Tickets for a Discount. Fan Gear, too.
2. The Most Entertaining Potential Match-up for the 2011 NBA Finals

Now that the dust of the regular season has settled, it’s time for the “real season” to begin.  Get discounted NBA playoff tickets from TicketNetwork.  And to express your enthusiasm, find fan gear here, too.

At last, the NBA playoffs are set.  The top 8 Western Conference teams have been gnawing on each other like rats in a too-small cage for the last month and the seedings came down to the final game of the season.  Only 7 games separate the number 1 seed Lakers from the number 8 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.  The Western Conference is obviously the class of the NBA — the bottom four playoff teams in the Eastern Conference (Miami, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Chicago) would not even have made the playoffs if they’d been in the West.  The Western Conference would be the class of the NBA, that is, except for one thing:  LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Well, and Dwight Howard and the Magic. (Okay, that’s two things).  Both of those teams had better records than any team in the West.  Of course, they were in weaker divisions, too.

Who will be the first champion of the new decade?  (10 years ago it was the Lakers, with Shaq getting MVP honors and Kobe his first ring.)

Remember some of last year’s dramatic series?  Who can forget Boston over Chicago in 7 games (with a total of 7 OT’s), or the Lakers squeaking by the Nuggets in 6?  This playoff season bodes well for more on-court fireworks, with several teams and stars peaking at the right time.  The red-hot Phoenix Suns, with the ever-creative Steve Nash (who again led the league in assists) and the almost-forgotten-but-still-formidable Amare Stoudemire, have perhaps been the best team in the NBA since the All-Star break.  The Mav’s have drastically improved with some effective trades.  The Spurs finally have their “Big 3″ back.  We’ll be treated to Kevin Durant’s first playoff appearance (after he became the youngest player ever to win the league scoring title last night).  LeBron James is rested and Dwayne Wade is healthy.  And Dwight Howard is coming off a monster season.  You can never say for sure which series will be spectacular but one thing you can say for sure is that some of them will be.  How will your team fare?

Of course, you’ll want to make it to some of the games.  So I thought you’d like to know that TicketNetwork is offering a 10% discount on NBA playoff tickets.  Just enter promotional code PLAYOFF10 during checkout to get the discount.  And don’t wait to buy — a lot of these series are going to sell out.  Check out the ticket prices now; they’re probably a lot more reasonable than you would expect (as low as $8 each).  And if you spend over $250 today, they’ll give you $20 off on a future order.

Now, how will you be expressing your support as you attend the game (or watch on TV)?

How about a game jersey worn and signed by Tim Duncan?

Only $4,249

If that’s not something you want to wear to the game, you can get a regular Tim Duncan jersey… 

Authentic team jersey worn by the Spurs

Or a Dwight Howard jersey…

Or a Kevin Durant youth jersey…

Kevin Durant Youth Jersey (only $35.99)

 For something rather different, a Kobe Bryant Hesh from Skull Candy…

Kobe Bryant Hesh

Or a room-scale wall graphic of Derrick Rose from Fathead…

Huge Derrick Rose wall graphic

Or a cool Cleveland Cavaliers ball cap…

You can find gear and memorabilia for the NBA’s most popular teams:

• Cleveland Cavaliers
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• Denver Nuggets
• San Antonio Spurs
• New York Knicks  

 And there’s much more.  Click the banners below to find T-shirts, wristwatches, pennants, travel mugs – more NBA fan gear than you can shake a ballboy at.  Who are you rooting for and what do you think their chances are?  Leave a comment below.  (I already went out on a limb for the Nuggets.)

Here’s Bango, the Bucks mascot, really getting into the spirit of the playoffs prior to the series with Atlanta…

Enjoy the playoffs, man.   Don’t forget to get your tickets.

Related posts:

1. An Interesting NBA Season Has Tipped Off — Get Your Tickets Now for the Best Games
2. The Most Entertaining Potential Match-up for the 2011 NBA Finals

I felt like going out on a limb a bit today, so I’m going to predict that the Denver Nuggets will win the NBA Western Conference Finals this season.

Chauncey Billups is averaging 19.8 points, 6 assists, 43% from 3-point range, and 90% from the foul line

 After they beat the Celtics on Sunday, it’s clear that they can have their way with any team in the league.  They were up by 20 in the first quarter, then coasted (as they are wont to do on occasion) and let the shamrock dribblers back into the game to tie it at 66 in the third quarter, then went on one of their vaunted defensive/offensive tears (as they also tend to do) and won pulling away, 114 – 105.

 This win, combined with their victory over Cleveland last Thursday (118 – 116), and their killing of the Lakers (126 – 113) and Mav’s (127 – 91) right before the All-Star break, augurs well for their chances in the playoffs.  (That game against the Lakers was beautiful.  Chauncey Billups, who is having one of his best seasons, scored 21 in the third quarter on his way to 39 total.  J. R. Smith added 27.  Kenyon Martin had 11 points and 12 rebounds — I’ve lost count of how many double-doubles he’s had this season.  And all this with Carmelo Anthony sitting out.  L. A. did not play badly.  They were beaten.)

So, barring injury, I think the Nuggets are going to the NBA Finals this season, winning the Western Conference Finals against (most likely) the Lakers.

Some would say this is premature.  After all, aren’t the Nuggets inexplicably inconsistent at times?  Many think they should have beaten the Lakers in the playoffs last season, except for careless last-second plays in games they should have won.  (Then again, you could say it was good defensive play by the Lakers.  Overall, what we can take from it is they definitely could have beaten the Lakers.)  I’ll give you that.  Nonetheless, even though they have lost to some of the Toyota-floormat teams this season, when they really focus on the contest, they play outstanding ball.  And a number of their victories have come with either Carmelo Anthony or Chauncey Billups riding the bench.  The team is really melding, getting more and more a sense of what they can accomplish.  The additions of Ty Lawson (the rookie one-man fast break) and Arron Afflalo have done nothing but strengthen them.

Here’s a play I can’t resist including, which happened against Minnesota on March 10.  On a fast break at 4:30 in the 4th quarter, Billups threw a long alley-oop pass to J.R. Smith.  What Smith did with it was pretty incredible.  Even the Minnesota home crowd was oooing afterward.  Of this play, Scott Hastings, former Detroit Pistons player who was color commentating for Altitude TV said, “Oh my goodness.  That’s the nastiest alley-oop I may have ever seen in my entire life.”  And Kevin Love, forward for the Timberwolves, who was trailing the play, said, “That was one of the most impressive dunks I’ve ever seen.  That’s just freakishly athletic.  Unbelievable.” 

So far this season, the Nuggets are 1 – 0 against Boston, 2 – 0 against Cleveland, 2 – 0 versus the Lakers, 1 – 0 against Orlando, and 1 -1 versus Dallas.

Sure, they’ve lost to Minnesota and Washington.  Doesn’t matter.  What remains to be seen is whether they can beat a good team when they have to.  For some teams, as they develop, victories come when they get into the zone of the joy of playing basketball.  I’ve seen the Nuggets in that zone a number of times this season.  In that respect, they remind me a bit of the 1974-75 Golden State Warriors, whom people doubted even as they swept the Washington Bullets to win the NBA championship.  When a team can get into that zone, and also becomes totally committed to winning, that’s when a championship can come. 

This season, when it counts, I think the Nuggest will learn how to get it done.  And, from way out on this limb, it looks like they’ll do it with style.

Feel like playing a little ball?  Here’re some things that will come in handy…

Ball… 

Click for Spalding NBA Official Game Basketball

Shoes and… 


 

Basketball backpack  (for when, like me, you ride your bike to the court)… 

Nike Lebron Ball Carry Backpack currently on sale at eBags

Get all your team gym bags and other team gear at eBags… 

Want to see an NBA game?  There are still tickets left to see Carmelo, Kobe, Lebron, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, and the rest!  And of course, the playoffs are starting soon — order your tickets now and get them in plenty of time…

Related posts:

1. Who Will Be Left to Play the NBA Eastern Conference Finals After the Rapture Occurs?
2. The Most Entertaining Potential Match-up for the 2011 NBA Finals